Pokemon: The Wandering Hero-- Adventures in Mara
by theImaginatorAK47
Summary: This is a spin-off backstory of how Jethro Striker and Frita Warmhart (by creation of Moyasu) first met. Created by both myself and Moyasu.
1. Chapter 1: A New World

**_This story will be a spin-off backstory as to how and when Frita and Jethro first met. We will return to the present and merge the events in both stories after this._**

 ** _Until then, enjoy!_**

* * *

Jethro stepped out of the water plane and into the light, putting up a hand to shield his eyes from the sunlight. He was standing at the edges of a bustling port, happy boatmen on every corner. One of them greeted him in a happy manner, and he casually waved back and smiled. The marina was made of stone, the top of it not quite cobbled, with even stones placed at regular intervals that gave the impression as such. His boots clacked on the stones pleasingly and the sky was bright. The marina was surprisingly large for the small amount of coastline it occupied, and a fairly tall skyline stretched before him. He wondered how it was he would find where he needed to go in a town so big, yet crammed into such a tiny space. _Bit of a maze,_ he thought. _Hopefully I can find the Pokémon Center without getting too lost._ He made his way down the steps and turned towards the city, gazing at the intricate architecture. He could see several Pokémon scurry about the street, some of which he had never seen before.

"The Mara Region," he said to himself. "Haven't been here more than five minutes and I'm already impressed!" He made his way to the street and looked around. It was a while before he spotted a sign indicating where the Pokémon Center was located. Underneath the main sign, there were two smaller icons; a bed and some silverware. Jethro raised his eyebrows in surprise. "It has a restaurant _and_ a hotel in it? Man, I'm more impressed by the minute," he said, and followed the arrow on the sign. He walked down the surprisingly wide street, and couldn't help turning in circles to look at everything around him. A couple women on the street giggled, and he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. _I sure hope they don't know who I am,_ he thought. _Otherwise this might get pretty awkward if it got out._

The street had a slow feel to it, despite the size of the city, and there were several shops and stores on each side. He paused to look in one of the windows and smiled as he saw several small plushes and a series of strange devices. He entered the store to look at them closer, picking one up and pushing a button on it. It was square, with four buttons on the top, and two smaller ones toward the bottom. It had a strap attached to one corner and was red in color. As he was wondering what it was, he noticed a horizontal pale blue light on the wall. As he moved his hand, the light moved with it, and he realized it was coming from the device. _Oh, that's interesting,_ he thought, almost saying it out loud. As he turned, the light fell across what he at first thought was another plush, and the device beeped as the light moved up and down across the Pokémon.

"Tick, the Clock Pokémon. Electric Type. They are a common sight in much of the Mara Region. They have an internal alarm that can be set by winding the gear in their backs. Their ears ring loudly when the alarm goes off. Ability: Lightning Rod. Weight: 8 Lbs. Height: 1' 00". As the device started speaking, two rods shot out of the front of it to reveal a digital screen with all the information and a picture across it. Jethro looked at the device in confusion, and then looked up. The 'plush' he had scanned had tilted its head to look at him with a puzzled face. Jethro yelped and nearly dropped the Pokédex, fumbling it before finally catching it, his hand going through the projected screen, turning it off, and putting it back hurriedly. He looked around the store with a sheepish smile on his face. Some of the people in the store smiled as they shook their heads and returned to their business. The shopkeeper giggled lightly, her cheeks turning pink. Jethro could tell his own cheeks did the same, and looked back at the Pokémon known as Tick.

It was a bronze color, and slightly shiny with brass colored ears shaped like bells. Its face was flat, and its round, white eyes didn't blink. It had a little triangle shaped nose and stubby arms and legs. Now that he was actually paying attention, he could hear a faint ticking coming from the small Pokémon. It began to walk toward him, rhythmically tilting back and forth with each step it took, giving it a bit of a strange gait that looked like it bounced once on each leg before taking another step. It looked up at him and made a strange noise. "Tick-tick. Tick-tick." It was a high pitched voice, and Jethro couldn't quite understand what it was saying at first. It was sort of like translating a new accent. After a second he realized it was repeating itself. He concentrated and eventually realized it was saying _"Funny human. Funny human."_ He gave it a slightly irritated look, and then shook his head and chuckled. He knelt down and patted its head.

"Well, I _am_ a tourist here," he said to it. "You should've seen me in Unova. Made the headlines of the paper, and… well, it wasn't all that flattering, but hey, it's laughable now." He looked at the shopkeeper, who was now gazing at him in confusion and awe. He nodded slowly, keeping his head up longer. "And then there's that little tidbit," he muttered, smiling at the shopkeeper. The Pokémon bounced up and down for a minute, its bells ringing a little bit. "Tick-tick! Tick! Tick-ti-tick!" It was still taking some time to get used to the way Pokémon spoke around here.

"Beg your pardon?" he asked.

 _"_ _You can understand me! You understand my talk!"_ Tick said. Jethro chuckled.

"It's taking some time for me to get the hang of it, but yes, I understand you," he said, scratching the adorable little teddy bear-looking Pokémon underneath its chin.

 _"_ _Tick Tick! Tick - my back!"_ It flailed its stubby arms toward its back. Jethro's eyebrows knit, as he had only understood a part of what the Pokémon said. It repeated itself and flailed again. _"Tick Tick! gear on my back!"_ it said. Jethro paused for a moment, and then understood, looking at its backside.

"You want me to wind the gear on your back?" he asked, remembering what the Pokédex had said. He reached back and twisted the gear slowly. "How many times?" he asked the little Pokémon.

 _"_ _Five!"_ it cheered. Jethro raised his eyebrows; he seemed to be getting the hang of the lingo. He did as he was asked, twisting the gear five times. When he was done, the Pokémon straightened a little and the ticking inside it was louder and a little more even. _"Thank you!"_ its voice wasn't nearly as high as it was before. _"I thought I was going to wind out and stop up! It's been weeks since anyone wound my gears!"_ Jethro straightened up, shifting his weight to the balls of his other foot.

"Weeks? Wow, that's… apparently not good, how often do you need to be wound up?" he asked.

 _"_ _I can go for just under a month before I start slowing down and then if I don't get wound I can't move. It gets a little hard to breathe too,"_ it explained.

"Bit of a biological flaw, if you ask me," Jethro said to himself, putting a hand to his chin. The Pokémon looked at him in confusion.

 _"_ _Biological? What does that mean?"_ it asked.

"That means a naturally evolved flaw or trait. That's just in my opinion, anyway," he said, waving a hand. "But I'm guessing that's why you're here in this shop?" He looked to the shopkeeper, who was still staring at the two of them.

 _"_ _Oh."_ The Pokémon said. _"That makes sense. Tick isn't natural. Tick is like Porygon."_ Jethro looked back down at the little creature in astonishment.

"You mean you were man-made?" he asked, awestruck. Tick nodded. _"I hatched from an egg, but yes, Tick is man-made. Tick can breed like other Pokémon now, but Tick stayed the same as when it was made."_

"Huh. Never thought of that, I'm sorry," he said. He stood still for a second, thinking. "Excuse me for a moment, please," he said, standing up and walking over to the shopkeeper. "Have you made it a habit to wind this little guy up on a regular basis?" he asked her.

"No, I usually just wind it up when I think about it," she replied, slowly starting to come back to the real world from her trance. "Uh, but the other shopkeeper winds him up more than I do," she added. "He's been sick for the past few days, though." Jethro took one of the pens from the small cup next to the register.

"Do you have a piece of paper I can use, or a small calendar?" She nodded, and procured a small pocket calendar from underneath the counter. She handed it to Jethro, and he looked at the Poketch on his wrist.

"Alright, so here's what you'll need to do," he said, scribbling a few notes on specific dates on each month, "that little guy needs to be wound up at least once a month. If not, he winds down and freezes up, which can get a little scary, if you can imagine." He turned the calendar back to the storekeeper and set the pen back in the little cup. "Make sure you keep a good habit of keeping up with it, and if you or the other storekeeper isn't around, please leave a note for someone else to do it, alright?" The storekeeper nodded and looked at the calendar.

"I'll be sure to do this from now on," she beamed as she moved her auburn hair behind her ear. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" she asked, looking Jethro right in the eyes. He guffawed and looked down, shaking his head.

"I'm flattered, miss, but I'm taken," he said. He looked back up to see that her smile had faded a little. "Oh, don't worry, though. I'm pretty sure the guy over there checking the plushes out would be glad to accept such an offer," he winked, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. Sure enough, there was a handsome young man near the plush toys, looking in their direction. His face turned bright red as the storekeeper made eye contact with him, and she blushed again, this time a deeper red than before. Jethro smiled and walked away, stopping to shake Tick's little paw.

"It was nice meeting you, little one," he said.

 _"_ _It was nice meeting you, too, and thank you very much!"_ it said happily. Jethro got up and walked over to the young man, still frozen in place. He placed a hand on his shoulder, managing to make eye contact with him.

"Good luck," Jethro grinned, winking.

Tick followed him to the door, its step much quicker now, and waved as he left. _"Goodbye!"_ it called. Jethro waved back at it, beaming widely.

* * *

"Awww! How sweet!" Elly said, nudging Jethro on the shoulder. He scratched his nose and blushed a little.

"Yeah, once in a while, I like to play Cupid," he said. "Makes my day a little brighter. Anyway!"

* * *

Jethro arrived at the front of the Pokémon Center. It was _massive!_ The building had at least 7 floors, if not more. There were balconies on the front that overlooked the street, and the whole building was wrapped with a large, red, glowing awning with a Poké Ball on the front. There was an outdoor seating area on the left side of the building. Several of the tables had umbrellas attached to them. As Jethro looked closer, he realized they weren't sun umbrellas, but instead heavy duty ones made for rain. _Oh, now that's an interesting twist,_ he thought. _The weather here must be rather moody._ He looked at the sky, seeing very few clouds for the time being. There were two names printed on separate windows at the front of the building on the first floor. One said Hotel Tides in dark blue and the other said Cafe Horsea in gold with a small stylized picture of the Pokémon in the middle. _Rather fitting, given the city's location,_ Jethro thought to himself. He entered the building, the doors being the old fashioned type that one actually had to open by hand, and walked up to the counter. He started in surprise as an unusually young woman greeted him. She was dressed in a pink hoodie with white circles with red crosses on the arms. She had a little white tennis skirt trimmed in red and a pair of white and red active shoes on.

"Welcome to the Oceanna Pokémon Center! How may I help you?" she greeted him.

"Hello, I was wondering if I could get my Pokédex upgraded to include the Pokémon of this Region?" he asked, bringing out the custom computer from his pocket. Joy extended a hand so she could examine the device. "Oh, one moment," he said, and pressed the black button. The panels folded outward and upon each other, and he then opened a small compartment on the side of the computer next to the button, unwinding a cord from within. "There," Jethro said, handing Joy the custom-made Pokédex. She plugged it into a computer behind her desk and clicked several things before sitting back, her eyes scanning the screen. Jethro noticed a pair of big white headphones around her neck, and on one side there was a microphone attached to it. There was a ding and she unplugged the device.

"There!" She handed him the device back, smiling. "All set. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Yes, actually, would you happen to know the special of the day?" he asked, motioning to the doors leading to the cafe outside. "I've just arrived after a long flight, and I'm pretty interested in sampling the local cuisine."

* * *

Eloquence yawned, stretching her arms.

"Please tell me we're getting to the good part," she said sleepily.

"Hey, you were the one who wanted a bedtime story," Jethro pointed out.

"Fair enough," Elly countered, rolling her wrist. "Continue."

* * *

Jethro looked at the menu thoroughly, impressed with the variety of delicacies they offered. There were even a few treats from other Regions here! That didn't come as much of a surprise, as this was one of the most tourist-attracting cities, it seemed. A waiter came to his table and bowed slightly. Jethro looked up and smiled, nodding back.

"It is a pleasure to serve you, Mr. Striker," the waiter said, standing up and smiling politely. Jethro chuckled and hung his head.

"Nurse Joy?" he assumed.

"Correct, sir," the waiter responded.

"Of course," Jethro said, and closed the menu. He ordered what appeared to be a Region specialty called the Kingdra Grande Plate, and turned back to the waiter, handing him the menu. "And just a glass of water, please, nothing too fancy." The waiter bowed again and walked off. Jethro sat back and let out a deep sigh, admiring the oceanic view. He could see a few Wingull circling the docks, reminding him of home. _This is_ definitely _somewhere that Felicia and I are coming back to when we get the chance,_ he thought, smiling to himself. He brought out his Poké Nav and flipped it open. He sent her a text informing her that he made it safely and was making plans to visit in the future with her, ending the text with a winking face and sending it. He then took a picture of the view and saved it to his camera roll, then stowed the device away in its pocket. He looked out to sea again. _I somewhat envy this 'Grand Champion',_ he thought. _I could get used to a view like this._ He looked down a little to the crowded city and inhaled through his teeth. _Can't quite get used to city life, though._ A waitress returned with a glass of water and placed it on the table.

"Thank you very much," Jethro said with a smile. The waitress smiled and turned, walking away somewhat hurriedly. Jethro smirked as he took a sip of the crisp, cold drink. _It's a good thing Felicia isn't here now, or else she just might go off on these poor girls!_ Jethro mused to himself. He sucked on an ice cube for a moment before crushing it and swallowing it.

Not long after that, the Kingdra Grande Plate was served, surrounded by green leafy vegetables and covered in a light orange sauce. It was very delicious, and Jethro's taste buds sang with every bite. The cooks here had exquisite skill! After he was finished, he swept the crumbs into his hands and then dumped them onto the plate. After the waitress collected the plates, barely making eye contact and blushing the entire time, the waiter that took his order came back and Jethro paid the bill with an extra tip.

"It was an honor to serve you today, sir," he said. "Is there anything else we can do for you?"

"Actually," Jethro said, putting his wallet away, "I was wondering if you could tell me where I could find the Grand Champion? I was told to meet them, but I wasn't told as to where that would be."

The waiter looked a little startled. "I...I'm not sure. I suppose the Mara Pokémon League would be the best place to start."

Jethro nodded. "And where might that be?" he asked.

The man gave him a bit of a pitied look. "I'm afraid it's all the way on the other side of the region, sir." Jethro's eyes widened and he sighed. _Just my luck. Oh well, it might be nice to see more of the region while I'm here at least._ He thanked the waiter and the man retreated. However, he returned a few minutes later with a laminated map of the region and a small transparency marker. "Please, feel free to use this to decide on how to get across the region if you don't plan on taking a boat or plane." It had been completely unexpected, and Jethro was finding he was increasingly impressed with the region the more time he spent here. As he was marking up the map, there was a sudden thud and he looked up to see someone occupying the other side of the two-person table. She had wavy red, nearly orange, hair that flared around her head like fire and bright green eyes. She was wearing a red t-shirt and a dark red coat. She sat forward, smiling at him, with her head in her hand.

"Um...can I help you?" he asked, slowly.

She cracked a grin and her eyes lit up. "I heard you were looking for the Grand Champion." _Who is this woman? She's quite the eavesdropper whoever she is. But she might be able to help me._

"Do you know who they are?" he asked, blinking at her.

"Yup." _Well, that was short and to the point._

"I was told to look for them at the Mara Pokemon League," Jethro explained.

The woman nodded. "That would probably be the best place to look, yeah." She looked down at the map in front of him. "Not taking a plane or boat?"

He shook his head. "I've never been here before. Figured I might as well see what I can while I've got the chance." Her eyes narrowed and he wondered what she could be thinking. _Probably that I'm just a clueless tourist, which isn't entirely wrong, but…_

"If you want, I can help you plan your trip," the lady offered.

Jethro smiled at her. "Yeah, that would be great, thanks!" She took the marker and drew two paths, one solid and one dotted. "If you wanna get there quick, take this one across the lake." She said, pointing to the solid line. It went up through Sparkplug, across a lake called the Lake of Sorrows, and west to a city called Shadyhollow before dipping down to Victory Bridge and Champion Island. "Or, if you wanna do a little sightseeing, you can take this one." The dotted path led straight, through the Crossroads, around to a village called Morobanundai, down to a city called Ciudad de Muerte, up to Clamara Town, and finally taking the same route through Shadyhollow as the first one. Jethro considered his options, pondering if he should do a little sightseeing or get to the League as soon as possible. After a moment, he decided to take the shorter route.

"I suppose I'll check out Sparkplug City and this 'Lake of Sorrows'," he said, pointing to the solid line the lady had drawn. "I don't want to keep the Grand Champion waiting for too long." He took out his PokéNav and took a photo of the map for reference. He then wiped the marker off of the laminated surface and looked up to the young lady. "Thanks again for your help, Miss…?"

The woman smiled. "You can just call me Fri." [pronounced 'free']

"Fri," Jethro echoed, narrowing his eyes. "Interesting name for an interesting person."

Fri smiled mischievously and nodded her head at him. "I'm flattered." She spun on her heel, "So, shall we go?"

Jethro sat up, eyes wide. "Um… 'we'?" he asked, shocked at this sudden offer of a travelling companion.

"Pretty as this Region is," she said, turning on him darkly. "You won't last 5 minutes outside this city." Jethro defensively furrowed his brow slightly, and then his expression softened, turning from anger to understanding.

"I see your point," he said, getting up from his seat. "I don't know a thing about this Region. Plus, I'd probably take half a day just to find my way out of this town!" He looked back to Fri, his expression stern. "However, I think it's rather unfair to say that I'm totally helpless," he said, patting his sheathed sword.

Fri smirked. "You mean that toothpick?" Jethro looked at her in bewilderment.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, this toothpick is unlike any other," he countered. "Managed to pick an entire meal out of a Sharpedo's mouth once." He shook his head. "I mostly use it for defense, anyways. However, my friends are more than capable of handling themselves in a battle," he added, motioning to the Pokéballs hanging on his backpack strap.

Fri eyed him for a moment, shrugging. "Still, you'll never find where you need to go without someone like me."

Jethro nodded and glanced off to one side. "I won't argue with you there," he said. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, sorry. I'm Jethro Striker," he said, holding out a hand and smiling. "I greatly appreciate your kindness."

Frita shook his hand and smiled. "No problem. We should really get going, though." She looked up tentatively at the sky.

Jethro glanced up as well. "The weather's about to change its mind, isn't it?" he asked.

"Mph." She looked down, then turned and began to walk away. "Maybe."

Jethro followed her into the Center. _Curious, this one,_ he thought. _Wonder if she's from around these parts._ Examining her fiery hairdo, he guessed it wasn't likely she was from this city in particular.

Fri walked at a fairly quick pace, turning down several streets in a row and walking with complete and utter confidence. Jethro did his best to keep up, but now and then he was certain they'd get separated. He managed to keep within five feet of her the entire walk, however, and they eventually made it to the outskirts of the city. Jethro glanced back in amusement.

"I'll have to come back here some time and take some more pictures," he mused. Fri continued to walk, calling to him over her shoulder as she did so.

"We need to move away from the coast. The scenery is pretty dense from here on out so stay close. You'll get lost in the blink of an eye if you don't." Jethro jogged to catch up to her.

"This Region's that dangerous?" he asked, somewhat skeptical.

"Only after dark, if you don't know any better, which you don't," Fri said solemnly.

Jethro breathed out of his nose a little. "I understand that I'm new here, but please don't think of me as a total idiot," he said. "I've been through three entire Regions thus far, and I've had my fair share of adventures and danger. I do, however, understand that you mean well, and that you're guiding me for my own safety, but if it's all the same to you, please try not to be so… degrading? No, that's a bit much," he said, waving a hand. "Sorry, I just don't like feeling underestimated so much. But, if you insist that this place is that dangerous after dusk, I will do my absolute best to follow your lead."

Frita scoffed. "I've been to nearly _every_ Region. It has nothing to do with you, and I'm not underestimating you. It's not so much that it's dangerous because of what's here, it's because of how the land is and how it intertwines. Life is free here. Until you understand this place better, you can't be expected to travel it alone, especially outside of places like Oceanna, no matter who you are."

Jethro nodded and looked forward. "I can respect that," he said. "Thank you again for offering to guide me."


	2. Chapter 2: A Region's First Impressions

After about 20 minutes of walking, they entered the thick jungle that made up most of the region. Fri slipped between and around trees and vines easily, never so much as crushing a fern while Jethro moved a bit more noisily through the undergrowth, getting caught in the vegetation once in awhile. And this is where I feel incredibly humbled by her telling me I wouldn't last five minutes out here alone, he thought, untangling his foot from a vine on the ground. She's remarkably good at getting through this stuff. She could even give Elly a run for her money.

* * *

"Hey!" Eloquence protested, swinging lazily at Jethro's head and brushing his ear. The others shushed her, and she froze. No one stirred throughout the rest of the Lab. They all settled down again, and Jethro raised his hands to shoulder level.

"I'm just saying, I haven't seen anyone move that fluidly through that thick of a jungle before in my life," he pointed out. "Come to think of it, I don't recall seeing a jungle that thick, either, but… anyway."

* * *

"Why do I get the feeling that this place is alive in its own way?" he called ahead. The feeling was picking at him in the back of his mind the minute they stepped foot in it. Fri turned to him. It was fortunate her clothing was so warm in color, making her stand out from the jungle so she didn't entirely disappear among the thick vegetation.

"Maybe it is…" She was looking at something in a different direction and gently tugged one of the vines loose. It fell, and she tied it around Jethro and tied the other end around her wrist. "We can't get separated as easily now."

Jethro examined the vine with interest. "Rather resourceful of you," he said. He saw something move out of the corner of his eye, and he whipped around to see what it was. A Grovyle was leaping from branch to branch deftly, displaying its characteristic speed. Jethro smiled at the familiar sight, and then continued to follow his escort. Several more Pokemon revealed themselves as they made their way through the jungle. An Ekans slithered down from the canopy to stare at them, it yellow eyes unblinking. A Serperior raised its head from a nap, following Jethro with a grumpy look. He smiled sheepishly and waved.

"Sorry," he whispered. Serperior merely grunted and went back to sleep. A small group of Jumpluff floated by, dancing overhead. Two Pokemon stood next to each other, one smaller than the other. Jethro didn't recognize these two. They looked similar to the Phanpy line, with one tiny and green with leafy ears and a big pink flower on its head. The other was huge, with giant ears and a mat of flowers running down it's back. Tree trunks were growing up its legs. It let out a trumpet and flapped its big leaf-like ears. Jethro waved back, smiling.

"Cute little things, aren't they?" Jethro asked out loud. "Is this where they usually thrive?" he asked Fri directly.

"Yes, typically." She waved at the Pokemon and they flapped their ears.

"They seem to know you, on some level or another," Jethro observed. He turned to follow his escort again. "You come here often?"

Fri turned to look at him. "Really? You're gonna word it like that?" Her eyebrows raised.

Jethro looked at her questioningly for a split second, and then his own eyebrows rose. He raised his hands up in front of him. "No, no, that's not what I- I have a girlfr-!" he started. He lowered his head and sighed. "You said that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Pfft! Hahahaha!" Fri grinned and laughed, her green eyes lighting up like Christmas lights. "You're an easy one to wind up! I've seen Tick less easily riled than that, and they have to be wound up once a month!" She tipped her weight back on the heels of her boots and suddenly leaned on him, grinning up at him mischievously. Jethro looked down at her, one eyebrow raised.

"Not…one for personal space…are you?" he asked slowly.

"What is this thing of which you speak?" She looked completely serious for a second before her eyes shone with amusement. She pushed off him and continued to walk forward at a more leisurely pace. Whether he had a choice or not, Jethro followed, shaking his head. This was a very interesting woman, he mused to himself. Kind of reminded him of Felicia, sometimes. That energy, that spirit…she and Felicia shared those traits almost to the letter. Felicia was a tad more…reserved, Jethro supposed silently as they forged on.

Suddenly, Jethro got an abrupt prickling in the back of his brain. He froze in his tracks, and Fri seemed to have stopped before him. She turned around to look him square in the eyes.

"Did you feel that?" they asked each other simultaneously.

"That'd be a yes, it seems," Jethro said, reaching for his sword handle. Something small and bright shot out of the jungle and whizzed past them. Jethro pivoted on one foot in attempt to follow it with his eyes, but it had already passed on ahead of them. Fri narrowed her eyes, trying to determine where it went before it clicked and her face acquired a knowing expression. She continued on calmly, which confused Jethro, and after another five minutes of walking, they came to an enormous clearing. The area was dark, darker than the rest of the jungle, and it was hard to see what was inside. Jethro could just make out the shapes of buildings and several strange glowing lights.

While he was looking around quizzically, he had stopped moving and Fri suddenly yanked on the vine connecting them, pulling him forward.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," he said. They entered the biggest, brightest building in the area, which as they entered turned out to be a Gym. There were twin statues just inside the entrance, glowing with a gentle blue color. Fri pulled the vine off her wrist and walked forward. Despite it being the brightest building, seeing the floor was difficult. Jethro watched in amazement as each step Fri took lit up the black floor where her feet had been, leaving a temporary and quickly fading path behind her. There was a bright glow coming from the very back of the room.

Must've been something in that forest, Jethro thought, glancing back. He hesitated before following her, leaving his own glowing light trail in a bluish color. As he approached where she had stopped, he had to put a hand up to shield his eyes. When he looked back down, his eyes widened. The glow at the back of the room came from several absolutely massive computer screens, in front of which was an unknown figure. Fri tapped the back of the chair, and the figure turned, looking surprised when he saw who was behind him. He stood and faced them, standing in a semi-relaxed position. He had shaggy bright blonde hair, and wore a dark grey t-shirt with a green pokeball pattern. It had green, digital-esque lines coming from it, and over top of it was a shorter black coat with pale gray trim. From underneath the sleeves of the coat,

Jethro could see what he guessed were the light blue sleeves of the t-shirt. He had black fingerless gloves, and gray pants with the same green digital lines. The ends of the pant legs were tucked into a pair of heavy boots with steel plating on the front and a glowing rectangle over each heel. Jethro couldn't see his eyes because they were obscured by a strange pair of glasses that weren't quite see through. They had a blue lense and he could see things flashing across it on the other side. The lense attached to large round pieces that resembled the speakers of a pair of headphones and covered his ears like one, with glowing blue circles in the middles. They had two large rods tipped with bright blue lights coming from them.

Fri immediately grabbed him around the shoulders (which he seemed to dislike), and pulled him into a tight hug. His head landed on her shoulder, and Jethro could see his pale skin flush visibly. She let him go and he shifted his shoulders and straightened his shirt.

"Must be a close friend," Jethro observed aloud to himself. "Either that, or that's her rather strange way of saying 'hello', I guess." He cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Hello! I'm Jethro Striker, from the Hoenn Region. I'm also known as the Wandering Hero." The man merely stared at him. What his expression was could not yet be determined. After a long moment of awkward silence, Jethro pursed his lips inward and raised his eyebrows quizzically, looking to Fri.

"He doesn't really do well in social circumstances," she explained. "His name is Zachary, and he's the Sparkplug City Gym Leader." Jethro opened his mouth in slight surprise and looked back to Zachary.

"I've never seen a Gym like this," he said, gazing around the room. "This is incredible! Electric-Type Gyms always amused and intrigued me with their intricate designs." He looked around to Zachary, who was holding the bridge of his nose with two fingers and a thumb. Fri was covering her mouth with her hands in attempt to hide a smile. Jethro's smile vanished. "What?" he asked. "What'd I get wrong?"

Fri shook her head. "It's not an Electric-Type Gym," she snickered. "It's a Cyber-Type one."

Jethro raised an eyebrow. "Say what, now? Cyber-Type?"

Fri tilted her head. "You don't know? Porygon is a Cyber Type; it was reclassified. Its evolutions were, too. And there are several Pokemon here in Mara that are Cyber Types."

Jethro raised both eyebrows in awe. "A whole new Type of Pokemon? That's incredible!" He ran a hand through his hair. "The world of Pokemon never seems to have a shortage of surprises," he mused. He looked down to his feet, where the floor was still glowing. "In more ways than one, it would seem." He looked back to Fri and pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "By the way, what exactly was that thing that whizzed past us in the jungle?" he asked. "You seemed to know it would bring us here." Fri shrugged, grinning. "I have no idea, I just figured it was one of those drones these techies are always playing with."

"Sounds rather interesting," Jethro said. "I imagine this city is the Region's technology and scientific innovation hub?" he asked, looking to Zach again. The stylish Gym Leader nodded silently. "Astounding," Jethro said, clearly impressed. "Definitely the second go-to city next time I come here."

Suddenly, a blur of lime green light zipped across the opposite wall, heading straight for Fri. Jethro watched as it came closer and closer, and then the strangest thing happened. The light leapt from the wall and took physical form, leaping right into her arms. It hit her square in the diaphragm with a heavy "Whump." Surprisingly, it barely fazed her, causing her to merely rock back on her heels a tiny bit.

It was a grey-colored Pokemon with green lines running down its body like circuits. It had floating ears, paws, and tail with green rings around them. The ears and tail had little gray spheres floating above them. Its eyes were big and green, with black sclera. It looked a lot like Eevee and its evolutions. Jethro whipped out his Pokedex and scanned the newcomer.

 **"Digieon, the Digital Data Pokemon. It is a new Eeveelution brought about by exposing Eevee to computers and circuitry for extended periods. Scientists do not yet know its limitations. Type: Cyber. Height: 2' 00". Weight: 30.0 Lbs."**

"And we have yet another Eeveelution," Jethro mused. "I was wondering if I was ever going to see another one."

Fri grinned, petting the Digieon. "You might see another TWO if you're lucky." She winked at him. Jethro raised his eyebrows.

"There's another Eeveelution in this Region?!" he asked, bewildered. "Incredible…!" He looked at Digieon. It seemed to be extremely comfortable in Fri's arms, and was even snuggling up to her chest. "This one seems to know you pretty well," he observed. "Is this little one yours, or just a very connected friend?" he asked.

"It's mine." She smiled, patting it on the head. "His name is Digit."

"Well isn't that cute?" Jethro said. "May I pet him?" Frita held the Pokemon out to him and it tilted its little gray head to one side.

 _"Diiiigiiieonnn."_ It said, in a strange, electronic voice.

"Ooh, trippy," Jethro said to himself, and extended his hand. He rubbed the little Pokemon's head and then scratched its chin. "You're pretty cute!" he said.

 _"Diiiigieonnnnn. Nnnnn...Diiigi."_ Jethro's right eyebrow raised. Apparently he was still having issues understanding the local Pokemon. It's not as if he didn't have this problem before; sometimes it merely took longer than others. Though who could blame him. The Pokemon here had a very thick, heavy accent. The massive difference in their voices didn't help either. This Pokemon sounded completely different from the Tick he had met earlier, especially with its electronic, almost auto-tuned sounds.

"You like that, huh? You like being scratched there, little guy?" he asked, continuing to scratch its chin. Digieon leaned into the scratching and began to kick one of its hind legs in a thumping motion. Jethro grinned. "That's an obvious yes," he said.

 _"Diiiigiiii…looooving thiiiiiiiiss…!"_ the little Pokemon said. Jethro beamed.

"There we go, now I can understand you," he said, leaning down to touch his nose with Digieon's. It let out a cute little electronic squeak. "So adorable!" Jethro said in a funny voice. He looked back up to Fri. "So this little guy can do the basic Cyberspace traveling that a Porygon can, correct?" he asked her.

"But of course!" Her eyes gained a mischievous glint to them. "Course, this little guy puts Porygon to shame. But then, how could he not? After all, it isn't every day you come across a Pokemon that can take you into Cyberspace with it."

Jethro's eyebrows nearly hit the roof. "You're kidding," he said in disbelief.

"Nope. You should try it sometime. It's a wild ride!" Fri grinned at Zachary, who grinned back at her, the first hint of real emotion he had shown so far. "Anywho, Zach," she turned to him. "I was hoping we could stay here until the storm blows over and then borrow some hoverboards so we don't have to walk the rest of our trip." Zachary raised his eyebrows, but simply nodded his head. Fri grinned, "Great, thanks!"

* * *

After a short walk, they were at what looked like a house (though it was so dark that Jethro wasn't sure exactly) and Zachary unlocked the door. It had an electronic keypad lock, and the door slid open when the correct code was entered. As they stepped inside, automatic lights came on to illuminate the dark building. It was indeed a house, and Zach took his boots off at the door and draped his coat over a small silver hook on the wall.

Fri made herself at home while Jethro peered around. The house looked relatively average aside from the sliding door. It was made of heavily reinforced wood of an orangey sort of shade, and was decorated with white, minimalist style furniture. In front of the door was a set of stairs and to the right was a living room looking area with a step-down, open floor plan that lead into what was obviously the kitchen. Zach was digging in the fridge and Fri had taken up residence in a overly large and comfy looking chair in front of a massive TV screen. She was holding a game controller.

Zach came back with a bunch of surprisingly healthy snacks and drinks. He froze when he saw Fri, then put down the food and turned to her. He pulled his glasses off and put them on the table, his eyes closed. He opened them and looked straight at Fri. Jethro raised his eyebrows in surprise. The man had one gray eye and one amber eye, and had one eyebrow raised. "Oh, Hellgar no." He made a shooing motion toward her, "Oi! Outta ma' chair!" Jethro's brow knit. This was the first time he had heard Zach talk, and it threw him. He had the same thick and heavy accent that the region's Pokémon seemed to have. "Um…," he started.

Zach and Fri turned to look at him. "What?" He looked back and forth between them before pointing toward Zach. "Your accent…" Fri snickered and Zach glared at her. "What about it? It's just a plain Mara accent." He looked confused. "It bother you or somethin'?" Jethro hurriedly shook his head. "No, not at all. I've just never come across it before, and it surprised me, that's all."

Before anything else could be said, there was an enormous gust of wind and rain that rattled the whole house. Jethro flinched, his shoulders reflexively hunching and one hand flying halfway to his head. "Jeez!" he exclaimed, moving away from the door as he finished taking off his boots, shaking the right one off as it stuck to his foot. "That sounds like a Lugia just came out of the ocean! I don't remember experiencing this kind of weather back home. Even Routes 119 and 120 stay relatively calm… Is that normal around here?" he asked as he picked up one of the snacks and examined it. It looked like an ordinary meat stick to him, and upon trying it he learned it was hickory flavored. "Mm, this is pretty good," he said to himself.

"Perfectly so," Fri said as Zach literally hauled her out of his chair. He dumped her on the couch as she continued speaking. "You don't wanna be out in that, trust me. Even the Water-Type Pokémon hide when storms hit, which is, like, all the time." The TV made several noises and eventually the home screen for a videogame system came online. Zach started a game, which Fri joined in on, and the two went head to head in a series of little mini-game type things. They appeared to be collecting gold tokens of some kind. Fri already had five, and Zach four. Each of the two COM players had one.

Jethro walked over and stood by the couch, chewing on the meat stick. He crossed his arms and put his weight on his left leg. At one point, Fri's character attacked Zach's, causing him to fall backwards and lose the minigame, granting Fri two of his coins as a prize. Zach glared at her and swore his revenge as the red COM player chose another game. Jethro smiled and looked at the two friends having fun, making the best of what they could out of the storm. His PokeNav suddenly began to ring from within its pocket. He took it out and looked at the caller ID on the small screen on the front of the phone. It was his mother that was calling him.

"Excuse me, I gotta take this," he said as he walked into the next room, flipping the Nav open and activating the phone. "Hello?"


	3. Chapter 3: Adventures with Raikou

"Kiddo? You there?" his mother's voice came over the speaker, but there was an incredible amount of static.

"Mom? I made it to Mara, no troubles!" he said slightly louder than normal so that she could hear.

"Why're you so static-y?" she asked.

"Well, there's a storm going on over here, so it may be messing with the signal a bit. One heck of a storm, at that..."

"Okay, well, I'll let you go then, I was just checking in on you!" she said, her voice fading out. "I lo-"

"Mom?" Jethro called, and looked at the screen. "Call dropped," he read aloud. "Go figure." He closed the phone and walked back into the living room. "That was my mom, she was just checking in on me," he told the other two. "Storm seemed to be causing some interference with the call, so I lost the signal. I'm guessing that's normal as well?" he asked with eyebrows raised and a slight smile. Zach and Fri weren't really paying attention to him though. Jethro thought he heard one of them mutter, "Yeah, cool."

Before he had time to be indignant, there was an unnatural sound of thunder, and Fri hit the Start button to pause the game. Her brow knit, and she frowned going to the window. The sound came again and there was an enormous flash. She covered her eyes, peering through the blinds. Jethro came up beside her and immediately assumed a shocked face.

One very angry looking Legendary, Raikou, stood in the center of Sparkplug. It roared and lightning poured from its back, blowing up several power transformers. Fri let out a huff and was out the door before Jethro realized what had happened. She was rapidly approaching Raikou, with no apparent intention of backing off or stopping.

"Oh, that's swell," he said as he hurriedly put his boots back on and ran after her. "I wonder if I can talk to Raikou and calm it down before she gets herself fried out there. Fri, wait up!" he called after her. "I know this Raikou, I can talk with-"

Fri had held up a hand to silence him. She had crouched down directly in front of the massive Pokemon to be closer to its level. They were staring each other directly in the face. Awkward seconds began to tick by and Jethro wasn't entirely sure what to do. In a flash, Raikou lurched forward, intending to take Fri's throat in its massive jaws.

Fri moved with such speed Jethro wasn't sure he had really seen it. She caught the Pokemon by one of its huge saber fangs a fraction of an inch before they reached her throat. Raikou flailed and tried to pounce on her, but she pushed her arm up, forcing it to turn its head, and eventually roll over on its back.

She pinned it with one knee on its chest and one hand on each fang. It flailed for a good while, trying to discharge electricity but failing because its tail was crushed into the ground under its weight, acting as a grounding for its electricity. It snorted, and huffed, quite indignant. When it had finally calmed down, Fri let it up and sat back on her heels as they got into another staring match. This time it ended with Raikou laying down all on its own and looking up at her.

Jethro frowned as Zach came up next to him. There seemed to be a conversation going on between the two, but there were no words.

"Well that's a new one on me," he said. He turned to the Gym Leader. "Does this happen on a regular basis?" Zach held his hand out, palm down, and rotated it back and forth: so-so. "So it has at least happened before?" This time Zach gave a nod. Jethro raised both his eyes and turned to look at Fri again. "Astonishing. So she communicates with Pokémon as well," he said. Zach tilted his head with a puzzled expression. "I can understand what Pokémon are saying. Basically, I'm a translator," Jethro explained.

The wind had died down and the area was filled with an eerie quiet. Raikou was the eye of the storm as it were and with it in the middle of town, there was an awkward respite from the hurricane force winds. Jethro looked to the sky without moving his head an inch, and then down to Raikou and Fri, his eyebrows almost to his hair.

"That's also a new one," he said as he nodded slowly. "My mind is officially blown."

Zach turned his attention to the man beside him. "Raikou is a storm maker, it's not too far fetched ta me." Jethro glanced at him.

"Fair enough," he said. Fri was petting Raikou's head gently. It growled lightly and leaned toward her. "Um, Fri…?" Jethro spoke up and Fri turned to him. Her eyes were especially bright. Jethro raised an eyebrow but shook his head, dismissing it. "So...what's up with Raikou…?" he asked.

Fri looked back at the Pokémon before answering. "It's tired, so it's a little cranky and was throwing a hissy fit. Apparently," she continued. "Someone has been harassing it, and following it from region to region. People in black clothing, I think?" Jethro's face immediately became serious, and he walked over to Raikou and knelt down.

"These people in black… did their clothes have a big red 'S' on them?" he asked. Raikou looked Jethro right in the eyes.

"Yes," it said. "A large, crimson 'S' on each one of their shirts. I don't know why they kept chasing me from Region to Region, though. I thought I heard something about using me as a power source or something, which I'm getting tired of being sought for, to be honest."

"I can't blame you," Jethro said, his fists clenched. He looked over to Fri. "Raikou here's been pursued by a group of people that call themselves the Sinister Division. They've been a thorn in my side for years, and if they want Raikou, it's not good in any way for either it or anyone else."

Fri sat quietly and listened to what Jethro had to say, nodding when he finished. It didn't seem to surprise her at all that he could speak with Pokémon. "I agree. But until someone can find them there's nothing to be done. We can at least protect Raikou though, if we find it a quiet place where no one can bother it for a while."

"You know this Region better than I do," Jethro said. "I know a few spots in Hoenn pretty well, but that'd take too much time, and they could intercept us if we tried that." He saw that Raikou was looking between him and Fri with an anxious expression, and gently put a hand on its head. "Don't worry, Raikou," he said. "We'll find someplace for you to hide, I promise. Those goons will never lay a hand on you."

"We could take it to the Lake of Sorrows. Raikou shouldn't be affected by it, and those people will never be able to handle it long enough to search for any Pokémon , let alone Raikou," Fri suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Jethro said, nodding in agreement. He paused for a second, wondering why Fri didn't question his ability to speak with the Pokemon. He shrugged it off. Maybe I'll have time to ask later. Raikou is more important right now, he thought. "So, where's this Lake of Sorrows at?" he asked.

"It's actually right on our way," Fri said, a thoughtful look on her face. "We could just leave tomorrow morning and we'd be there by the afternoon probably."

"Sounds good," Jethro agreed. "Where can we keep Raikou hidden until then? I don't want to risk them finding it here." He looked off into the distance for a moment and flexed his eyebrows. "Or myself, for that matter."

Frita shook her head. "I doubt we'll need to. There's no way they'll make it through that jungle by morning without a guide, and even if they have one, the jungle is different at night, it's much much more dangerous than it could possibly be in the daytime...," she paused. "Not to mention Raikou is surrounding Sparkplug in a vicious storm."

Jethro looked up and raised his eyebrows. "Decent cover, I suppose. Honestly, I'm thinking it may draw their attention, but the fact that storms around here are a natural occurrence and rather frequent is hopefully enough that they'll overlook it. And even if they don't, unless they have a Lugia in captivity or a really strong Castform, it might prove too strong for them to proceed." Frita looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What? I consider the weird things, that way I expect the unexpected."

She tilted her head in an 'well ok then' sort of way and turned to Raikou. She tipped her head at Zach's house and Raikou got up, padding toward it. Zack seemed to be a little jittery, and was having a hard time standing still. As the Pokémon made it's way into his house, he let out a squeal like a little girl and hopped a few times. Fri snorted in amusement and shook her head.

"Um...does he normally do that when he's excited?" Jethro asked quizzically.

"Oh you have no idea," Fri replied. "You should have seen the time I caught him a Chinchou." She followed Zach and Raikou inside, and Jethro followed her.

* * *

"Seriously? he was that excited about a Chinchou?" Valin asked. The image had appeared in his mind, and he was quite perplexed at the thought.

"Apparently," Jethro admitted. "But to be honest, how could someone not be that excited about a Raikou trotting right into their house?"

"Yes, but… a Chinchou?"

"I know, I know," Jethro said, raising his hands. "We're all unique in one weird way or another."

* * *

Raikou made itself comfortable on Zach's couch, and he had brought it his best Pokemon food. Suffice to say, Raikou was unimpressed, not that it didn't like being waited on hand and paw. The rest of the night was spent in a buzz of conversation and the making of plans for the next day.

Jethro was suddenly jolted awake. He looked around sleepily in confusion. "Huh?" he slurred, taking in his surroundings. Fri was shaking him.

"Get up, it's time to go," she said. Jethro groaned, suddenly realized where he was and what he was supposed to do, and leapt up from the bed, swaying a little and steadying himself on the wall.

"Got up a little too fast, I guess," he said. Groggily, he went through his morning routine, brushing his teeth and taking a quick shower. Zach's house had a nice guest room, big and comfy, with its own bathroom.

Jethro stumbled into the kitchen, hurriedly downing a breakfast sandwich as he noticed Fri packing up what little she had brought with her. "We're heading," he paused, taking a bite, "to the Lake of Sorrows, right?"

Fri nodded. "Raikou will be safe there, and we're going there anyway regardless."

Jethro swallowed the last of the breakfast sandwich and put his own backpack on. He went over and shook Zach's hand. "Thank you for letting us stay," he said. "I look forward to challenging your Gym someday!" he added with a smile.

Fri was apparently talking with Raikou again as they left Zach's house. After a moment, she turned to him. "Raikou says it will carry us to the Lake of Sorrows," she said.

Jethro looked at the Pokemon, eyebrows raised. "Are you certain about this?"

"It's my way of thanking you for offering me shelter," the Pokémon said. "Besides, it's about time I had a turn giving people a ride, after Suicune and Entei."

Jethro shrugged. "Well, if that's the way you feel about it, I won't disappoint," he said, climbing on after Fri. They both waved to Zach as the Legendary Pokemon leapt forward, bounding off toward the Lake of Sorrows. Despite its size, Raikou was relatively light, allowing it to jump on the thinner branches of the canopy.

After only a short time, the lake came into view. It was large, and shaped like a teardrop. Is that why they call it the Lake of Sorrows then? Jethro thought. He assumed that was so.

A little more time passed, and Raikou dove to the ground, landing near the shore. Fri climbed off its back and pointed to a small cave in a tiny cliff at the edge of the lake. "There should be moss nearby you can use as bedding," she said, and patted Raikou's shoulders. Jethro jumped off next, and the minute his feet hit the ground he fell to his knees.

A wave of unknown grief hit him like Kanto's Monorail train, and he sucked in a heavy breath. Old and very painful memories dredged themselves up for no apparent reason, and tears welled up in his eyes.

 _Professor Birch's Lab the day the Sinister Division attacked…_

 _The day Burner took an attack for him and almost didn't recover…_

 _The fight he had with Eloquence…_

 _Having to say goodbye to Felicia before going to another Region…_

Jethro shook his tears out of his eyes and looked up at Fri. "Wasn't quite ready for that little feels trip," he chuckled shakily. Fri turned to him, her green eyes glazed with sadness. Her voice came in nothing more than a whisper.

"I lost a Pokémon , one I really loved, to old age. We buried him at Mt. Pyre. His name was Nummy. I always remember him when I come here."

She blinked and turned toward the lake. There was what appeared to be a stone statue in the middle, though it was hard to tell from the mist that swirled on the water's surface.

Jethro wiped away at his tears and stood up, squinting. "What's that?" he asked.

Fri turned to him, barely looking in his direction. "It's a Togekiss, forever frozen in stone."

Squinting a little harder, Jethro could just barely see the outlines of the Pokemon figure. Sure enough, it was pure stone. "What made it turn to stone?" he asked, an eyebrow raising.

Fri shook her head. "No one knows," she told him. "Some think another Pokemon somehow did it. The story surrounding it is very old and the exact cause was lost in time."

 _"There was a beautiful Togekiss, and a Dragonite who loved her very much. But it was said another_ _Pokémon , another denizen of the sky, was jealous of their love and happiness. In a fit of rage, it turned the Togekiss to stone, and she fell in the center of the lake. The Dragonite was cursed to turn into a monster, forever trapped in the lake. Always in view of his beloved, but never able to get close to her, he destroyed anything and anyone who came close to the lake."_

"That's how the legend goes," she finished.

"Oh, well isn't that encouraging?" Elly asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, no kidding," Jethro chuckled. "The one place we could shelter Raikou, and it had to be at a lake with a homicidal Pokemon lurking under the surface." Slowly, he raised a hand, suddenly jolting it up just over the edge of the couch, causing Elly to jump. They laughed, and she gave his shoulder a playful whack.

Jethro let out a nervous chuckle. "My, what a…safe place this is," he said, gulping.

Fri turned to him, glancing over her shoulder. "Raikou will be fine." She continued along the side of the lake with Jethro in tow until they were about halfway around the lake.

He was so distracted with watching the lake, that he didn't see a dip in the ground until he fell in it. He tumbled down to the shore, his boot hitting the water with a gentle splash, which turned out to echo across the lake surface in the eerie silence. Jethro froze in place.

"Yeah, uhh… I wasn't worried about Raikou back there," he said lowly. "Should I, uh… should I run, should I stay still, is there a song for protection I can sing, what do I do?" he rambled to Fri. She turned to him, but before she could speak, there was a low rumble from across the lake. Something moved in the water, a large fin breaking it's surface silently.

She rushed forward and grabbed him, hauling him upward as a set of menacing jaws snapped shut on the place where he had been crouched.

"I'll take that as a run!" he shouted, scrambling up and bolting in the direction they had been heading, his hand instinctively resting on the handle of his sword. A loud and very terrifying roar accompanied them as they fled. Whatever it was that was following them was something he had never seen before. It was large and green, covered in slimy scales, with a giant maw filled with sharp teeth. Its nose was a pair of slits and its eyes were large and yellow. Its limbs were webbed and had fins and a large fin ran down its back. Its feet were wide, with large sharp claws on them.

"Okay, now that's just wrong on a number of levels!" Jethro hollered as he picked up the pace.

It was surprisingly fast, and caught up to the two in no time, diving straight at them, jaws parted in attack. Jethro drew his sword, but was too slow to bring it up in time. Just when it looked like the beast would be having a Champion for dinner, Fri's hands latched onto its massive jaws. She hefted it up, its mouth still open, and flung it back into the lake. It landed just shy of the stone Togekiss and let out an angry roar, diving below the surface. The lake was quiet again after that.

Jethro looked at the lake, the goofiest look of confusion on his face. He looked from Fri to the lake and back, finally able to get segments of words out of his mouth. After a few moments, the pair slowly turned toward each other.

"Y- how in the- wha-?" He raised his hands and sheathed his sword. "You know what, never mind," he said, giving up. "Starting to find the amount of surprises in this Region unsurprising."


	4. Chapter 4: Treetop Town

Fri shrugged, walking past him. "Lead on, McDuff," he said, motioning a hand in a general direction forward. "To zeh vunderful vurld of... wherever it is we're going."

Fri glanced back at him. "Wherever you want to go. We can go straight to Shadyhollow from here, or we can stop and rest in Treetop Town. Your choice. Either way," She motioned over her shoulder. "They're both in this general direction."

"You know what?" Jethro said, a somewhat forced grin on his face. "Let's do Treetop Town, Shadyhollow sounds way too…" he struggled to find the word, and eventually gave up. "Shady."

Fri shrugged again. "We'll still have to pass through it, but I suppose we won't be staying there. The jungle thins out a ways from the city limits and it's all meadows and shoreline from there on out. Still, you might enjoy Treetop Town. And we can take a more relaxed pace if we stay there for the night."

They made their way through the jungle much slower this time. Jethro was constantly observant of all the Pokémon in the area, and he enjoyed watching them live their peaceful lives. He watched a pair of Floradise do a love dance.

The green bird Pokémon had small flowers on their chests, and had little polka dotted feathers on their heads. Their tails were made of massive flowers in varying colors, with two long skinny feathers that ended in a teardrop shape with dots in the center of each one.

"So cute!" he said to himself. He tapped one of the Poké Ball on his backpack strap and released his Meganium. The Grass-Type yawned and looked around. Its eyes widened as it looked at the lush vegetation. It looked back to Jethro with an expectant look on its face. "Go ahead, buddy, go crazy," he said, and Meganium went trotting off ahead of them, rubbing against the several leaves and bushes along the way.

Fri smiled at the sight. She let out a sigh and continued on, watching the Meganium play as they traveled along.

"It's one of the friendliest Pokemon I have," Jethro said as they continued on. "Sometimes I even feel bad for sending it out to battle. It can actually handle itself pretty well, though."

Fri chuckled, pulling a Poké Ball from her pocket. Jethro watched with a quizzical look, curious about what could be inside. She lobbed the ball up in the air and in a bright flash revealed a slightly large Arcanine. The Pokémon barked twice before charging straight at the Meganium. Jethro jolted forward in preparation for a battle, but the dog Pokémon jumped on the grass dino, her tail thumping happily. She licked at the Meganium's face before bounding off playfully. She wagged her tail, barking.

"Well now isn't that just adorable," Jethro said in a slight baby-voice. "Hyper little thing, ain't it?"

Fri smiled. "Yeah, she certainly loves attention. She'd borderline attack for it." She chuckled and stuck her hands in her coat pockets.

"Heh," Jethro huffed. "Comforting thought."

Fri grinned at him. "What? The mighty sword-swinger is afraid of an Arcanine?"

"Well, it is a toothpick in comparison to things around here, right?" he joked back. "And no, I'm not afraid, I'm merely saying it as an…offhanded comment, rather."

Fri simply shrugged and continued on. As they made their way forward, it began to get gradually darker until the canopy was bathed in a soft orange light and the jungle floor was relatively dark. Just when Jethro was having a hard time seeing and was about to search for a flashlight, Fri released a Pokémon.

The brilliant flash of the Poké Ball opening temporarily blinded him, and when he could see again, things were bathed in a soft purple light. Fri had released a rather fat Chandelure, and its violet soul-sucking flames flickered softly, giving off a warm purple glow.

"Very nice!" Jethro said, intrigued. Meganium bounded over, looking at the floating Pokémon with interest, and then bounded away again, rubbing its head in the vegetation as it went.

The Chandelure floated lazily forward. "Chaaaaaannndeluuuurreee." Its voice was soft and eerily deep.

Jethro's head shifted back in a grimace, goosebumps raising in his arms. "Ooooo-kay, that's a Ghost-Type for ya," he muttered. Fri snickered. "Comes in handy whenever I need to see things though."

They continued walking for a short time, until Fri stopped. She looked up, her eyes scanning the semi-dark canopy above. She caught sight of what she was looking for fairly quickly. "Let's see…should be around here somewhere…" She rooted around, circling a few trees before she stopped in front of one. "Here it is!"

She grabbed at a rope that was dangling from a nearby tree and tugged on it. High up in the canopy a small bell faintly rang. Fri rang the bell a few more times until a rope ladder dropped in front of her. "Come on!" She called over her shoulder, putting one foot on the bottom rung.

Jethro's eyebrows shot up. "Huh," he said. "Nice. Real creative; I like this place already!"

Fri climbed up just high enough for Jethro to jump on the bottom of the ladder before returning her Pokémon. Jethro did the same, and just in time too. The ladder suddenly retracted, getting a shocked squawk out of him as it shot them up between the massive trees until they were miles above the ground. They broke through the mid layer of foliage, temporarily floating from the force.

Fri's face was lit with the orange light of the sunset, making her green eyes glow like gemstones. Her gaze was fixed forward as they floated, the entirety of Treetop Town spread out before them. The mid layer of the trees was covered in a complex of rope-bridges and platforms some with good sized houses on them and some just empty or with benches. It made Hoenn's Fortree City look like a bunch of kids' treehouses.

In the center of town was a tree surrounded by a wooden plaza. It was bigger than the rest and a ladder ran its length, disappearing into the top of the canopy. There was a large building supported by several trees and extra braces with a red roof. Jethro assumed it was a Pokémon Center. Small Grass Type Pokémon were scattered everywhere, along with some Flying Types. There were several Petilil gathered in a group and a flock of small hummingbird-like Pokémon shot past below them.

"Wow..." Jethro said after a while, eyes wide and jaw hanging open. "I am thoroughly impressed. Seriously, this is a _lot_ of vegetation...and despite the fact I hate _heights…!"_ he gulped as he looked down. "I actually find it rather serene and relaxing. But seriously, though," he added as he looked forward again, his heart racing, "tall places…! Eep!"

Fri turned and winked at him, letting go of the ladder and free falling. "What the- Fri!" he called out, lurching to grab her. He missed by a hair and she plummeted, pulling a swan dive pose before doing a front flip and landing with a loud wham on the solid wood platforms below, her boots clacking as she took a few steps to steady herself. She jumped a few times, shaking her body to loosen the muscles.

Jethro would have been in shock, were it not for the sheer terror of realizing he was rapidly falling toward the platform himself. "Ohhh, roller coasters, yay!" he shouted sarcastically. Just before he hit the platform a heavy set of paws latched onto his shoulder. "Wagh!" He swung precariously, letting go of the ladder out of instinct. A large gray and black Pokémon had snatched him out of the air.

It had a pointed head and horns, and large paws with claws on them. Black ran up its arms and legs and it had a long tail with spikes running down its back...and WINGS! It floated him gently to the ground, dropping him on the platform. He landed on his rear with a thump as the Pokémon landed beside him. It was tall, taller than he was, and full of muscle. Fri petted it's pointed nose and it gave a fang filled toothy grin.

"Whoa," Jethro finally managed to say. He pushed himself up, standing up and looking up at the Pokémon. He raised a hand, pointed at it with two fingers, and looked to Fri, a dumb grin on his face. "I don't know why, but I like this one!" he said. "Really cool!" He dug around for his Pokédex and activated it, the device scanning the creature in front of him and finally displaying a name.

 **"Protagoyle. The Statue **Pokémon**. Type: Flying/Rock**

 **Despite its scary appearance, Protagoyle is a very kind **Pokémon**. It has a very strong sense of justice and will protect the innocent and weak."**

The Pokémon fixed him with its red eyes. It blinked, its white pupils sliding back and forth in a searching fashion.

"Huh," Jethro said again, stowing the Pokédex and smiling. "Most impressive indeed. Now I see why I like it so much; we have a lot in common!"

The Pokémon swished its tail. It had obvious signs of battle. Its wings were filled with cracks and there were clear places where scales and spines had broken off. It let out a grunt and dropped to a lower position, sniffing at Jethro and his pack. He reached out and touched some of the missing scales.

"You've seen quite a bit too, huh?" he asked quietly. "Yeah, but you look pretty tough." He ran a finger along one of the cracks in its wing. "Thanks for catching me, by the way." It snorted, beginning to pad away. "Well now, hang on," he said, following after it. "Just a sec. You wander this Region alone?" The Pokémon grunted at him. That seemed to be a 'yes'. "Gets kinda lonely, doesn't it?" A slow nod. "Well then, why not travel with me?"

The Pokémon's wings perked slightly and its head tilted. It gave him a proud look and then leapt up, flipping backwards and hovering above the platform. Jethro took a stance and smirked. "Ah, so you're one of those 'testing my metal' sort of Pokémon, eh? I like that." He grabbed the Poké Ball at the top of his strap and tossed it. "Come on, Burner, let's make a new friend!"

The Blaziken landed on the platform, kneeling with one claw on its knee and the other on the wooden planks. It looked up at the Protagoyle and smiled, straightening itself. _"This should be fun,"_ it said.

 _"A Fire and Fighting-Type?"_ the Protagoyle asked, smirking. _"I believe the fun will be all mine."_

 _"Cocky much?"_

"Careful, we do it plenty of times," Jethro said. "Alright, Flamethrower!" A stream of searing flames burst out of Burner's mouth, engulfing the flyer. The Pokémon tanked the attack and flew into the flames. Jethro's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, this guy's _good,"_ he mused. He waited until Protagoyle was just close enough, and then… "Sky Uppercut!" he shouted. Burner took one step back, drew its right arm, and let loose a hard punch, sending the Pokémon up and back.

 _"Tactically sound,"_ Protagoyle said, rubbing its jaw. It rapidly back flipped again, this time descending quickly and sharply levelling out just before it hit the platform. It flew at Burner with incredible speed in an Aerial Ace attack. Burner leapt up just as the wild Pokémon came close, narrowly avoiding it. It came speeding towards Jethro and flipped around at the last second, causing him to raise a hand to his face to try and block the sudden breeze as it came screaming back at Burner.

"Thunder Punch!" Jethro shouted. Electricity surged around Burner's fist as it threw its arm forward, colliding midair with Protagoyle's attack. However, seeing as how it didn't have any stable ground or forward momentum, it had more of a disadvantage and was slammed back, hitting the platform and rolling. Burner's claws made long marks in the platform as it dug in, halting itself. The Protagoyle hovered in the air, its wings flapping slowly.

 _"A valiant attempt,"_ it said. It suddenly went into a nosedive, aiming straight at Burner.

"Flamethrower!" Jethro shouted. Burner arched its back and then let loose a massive stream of fire. Once again, Protagoyle dodged it, flying deftly around the flames. It drew its arm back and struck out with its sharp claws, the Slash attack catching Burner in the torso. The flames sputtered out and Burner rolled across the platform.

"You want to keep going?" Jethro shouted.

 _"I think a certain flying metal tank would be of a bit more assistance,"_ the Blaziken called back, leaping over to him.

"Get some rest, then," Jethro said, returning Burner to its Ball. "You did good." He put the Ball back on his backpack strap and picked the Ultra Ball off from two places down, tossing it in the air. "Come on, Metagross, let's go!" The silver-and-gold four-legged Pokémon descended from where it was released, hovering just above the platform with its legs leveled horizontally.

 _"Ah, a bit more of a challenge!"_ Protagoyle said with a grin. It charged Metagross, its wings tucking in as it dove, its tail glowing a light blue color.

"Catch it!" Jethro shouted. Metagross's front legs slid out a little, but Protagoyle closed the gap between them rapidly.

 _"Too slow!"_ it shouted as it swung its Dragon Tail at the 'X' on Metagross's face.

Surprisingly, it never hit its mark.

Quicker than it anticipated, Metagross's two front legs swung forward and latched onto its tail and its middle. Protagoyle squawked in surprise as it found itself immobilized.

 _"Actually, it was_ you _that was exactly .56 seconds too slow,"_ Metagross said coolly as it began to spin rapidly. Protagoyle tried fruitlessly to free itself from the tank's steel grip. After spinning quite fast for a few seconds, it angled itself up and launched the dizzy Protagoyle into the air like a missile. It planted its two legs on the platform, halting its momentum, shaking the platform a little. Jethro maintained his balance, his arms crossed.

"Meteor Mash!" he called out. Metagross tucked its legs into itself again and took off, hurtling into the sky after dazed Protagoyle. The Flying-and-Rock-Type held its head and looked up as a blur of silver zoomed past it. Metagross extended its right front leg and drew it back, the claw glowing brightly.

 _"Houston, we have contact,"_ it said nonchalantly as it swung its leg…and missed. The Protagoyle guffawed.

 _"Ha! You went through all that to mi-!"_

What it didn't see was that Metagross made the miss intentional, using its centripetal force to increase the force of the blow, sending the Protagoyle hurtling to the earth. Jethro readied an Ultra Ball and looked up. **_"Catch it!"_** he hollered up to Metagross. The four-legged Pokémon tucked its legs to its body and thrust itself downward, letting its weight carry it down. As soon as Protagoyle was close, Metagross slowed its descent with Psychic, setting it gently on the platform. Jethro lazily underhand-tossed the Ball, and the Protagoyle disappeared inside. It shook once, twice, three times... and _click!_ It was caught! Jethro walked over and knelt down, picking it up just as Metagross settled down on the platform.

"Good job," the Trainer said, returning his Pokémon as it nodded. He looked down at the Ultra Ball and smiled. "Welcome to the team," he said.


	5. Chapter 5: Meet the Gym Leader

There was a slow clapping behind him. Fri was ambling toward him, applauding the whole way. "Nice job. I've known that Pokémon for a long time, and it never backs down or gives up. To accept being caught...it's quite an accomplishment."

"Thanks," Jethro said. "I'm glad to know I picked a good partner."

Fri's eyes narrowed mysteriously, but she said nothing. Instead she turned, throwing her arm across the shoulders of a particularly irritated man with fluffy, thick, very dark brown hair.

His deep green eyes held obvious disapproval and his mouth was turned down in an unhappy frown. "I feel like I told you to never come back…" He gave Fri a side-glare.

"I feel like it's cute you thought I'd actually listen." She winked at him, leaning a large portion of her weight on his right side.

He shrugged her off. "You ruined ANOTHER platform. What are you even doing here?"

Fri snorted. "Correction, HE ruined it," she pointed, indicating Jethro, who raised his hands.

"Hey, I at least kept my Metagross from hitting the thing like a meteor," he said in defense.

"And all towns with a Pokémon Center MUST accept weary trainers. NO EXCEPTIONS." Fri put her hands on her hips and shifted her weight.

"Speaking of which, I need to get to the nearest one to heal my new friend," Jethro insisted. "So, if we could get to that…"

The man turned to Jethro and opened his mouth to speak, but Fri interrupted before he could. She grabbed Jethro by the sleeve and dragged him toward another platform.

"Sure, it's this way." She walked casually in the direction of the red-roofed building.

"Oh no you don't!" The dark haired man grabbed Fri by her jacket. "You two trashed this platform, you-!" Fri cut him off again.

"Oh go chew on a leaf, Forrest. You get all flustered and upset over **everything**. You need to lighten up. Besides, technically it was the Protagoyle's fault." She held up a finger while winking.

Jethro shook his head, marveling at how she could so easily just toss anyone under the bus to avoid her own blame. This woman certainly was interesting, to say the least.

Fri fluffed Forrest's dark hair before bouncing away and dragging Jethro off to the Pokémon Center. He gave Forrest an apologetic look over his shoulder as they went, mouthing a silent 'Sorry'. He held his gaze at the man a few seconds longer before facing the forward.

"Why do I get the feeling that he's the Gym Leader?"

Fri grinned. "Because he is."

Jethro nodded. "Figures," he said. "Quite protective of his territory, isn't he?"

Fri shrugged. "He's an architect...I suppose he's just proud of his work, or worried about the structural integrity now that it's been damaged. Can't really blame him I guess."

"An architect! Very nice!" Jethro mused. "What here did he build, apart from the platforms?"

Fri scoffed at his question. "He built the whole town!" She turned to look at the man over her shoulder. He was quietly following them, his face a perma-scowl.

"The entire-?" Jethro turned and faced the man behind them. "Now _that_ is an impressive feat!"

Forrest closed his eyes. "Yeah, thanks. That's really some compliment, since you know, you just destroyed part of it."

Frita groaned, and rolled her eyes. "LIGHTEN UP, FORREST! Just send me the bill for your stupid platform and be done with it!"

"If it's that important, I'll pay for the restoration," Jethro insisted. "After all, I was the one who was directly involved in wrecking it, I should take responsibility."

Forrest continued to glare at Fri. "Fine, I'll send you the bill, you red-haired demon. And STOP COMING HERE! ALL YOU DO IS WRECK THINGS!"

Fri sighed. Forrest was a nice person, and very smart, but he had a horrible sort of OCD thing going on. Especially true when concerning his precious architecture.

"Oh for the love of…" Jethro mumbled, dragging his hand down his face. He looked up and laid his eyes on the Pokémon Center. "You build this, too?" he asked.

"The whole town really does mean the whole town." Forrest puffed his chest out proudly. "Every single building, platform, ladder, and pulley were all hand built by me."

Fri whispered in Jethro's ear. "And his massive team of construction workers, Arceus forbid he mention them."

"Oh, yay, one of those types," Jethro muttered back, rolling his eyes.

Fri shrugged. "Eh, it's not like he's that way on purpose. Just a little too prideful of his work for his own good sometimes. Regardless, he really is a fantastic architect, and at one point we actually used to be friends. Give it a few months and he'll probably forgive me." She winked and looked back at Forrest.

He glared at her and raised an eyebrow. "You better not be talking about me…"

"Just admiring your handiwork," Jethro called back as they entered the Center.

* * *

Nurse Joy greeted them and agreed to heal Jethro's new Pokémon. He thanked her gratefully before turning around to face Fri and Forrest, who had their foreheads mashed together and looked like they were about to get into a brawl.

"Oh, dear," he muttered, walking forward and putting his head against theirs. "This a private conference, or can anyone join?" he whispered.

Fri tried her best to keep a straight face, but she couldn't help but burst out laughing. Forrest tried his absolute best to keep his own poker face, but even he gave a light snicker before glaring at Fri again. Jethro grinned and snorted, lowering himself a little. "Alright, now here's the plan; Forrest, you find the nearest empty pot and stand in it like the most beautiful tree you've ever seen, veeery majestic. Fri, you get a few chairs, get on the top of them, balance as best you can and hold your arms out- you'll be the glorious little sun giving the tree its sustenance. I'll come by and water his feet. Okay, on three, break. One, two, three, _break!"_ He clapped his hands and turned as Fri burst out laughing.

"Yes, Forrest! GO BE A TREE! A MAJESTIC TREE!" she cried.

"I'm guessing a pine tree!" Jethro called over his shoulder. "The Center's got a nice aroma of that."

Forrest rolled his eyes. "As if you could ever be anyone's light source. Please. You're too much of a little devil for that. Regardless, I'd love to see YOU try to balance on a bunch of chairs with your arms out like an idiot!"

"First one to find out who can do their part the best wins!" Jethro said as he looked about for a water pail.

Forrest watched him with wide eyes. "You're actually legitimately serious about this, aren't you?"

"I just might be, I never really know until I get there!" Jethro called as he dug through a closet, the Chansey on duty protesting at his free roaming. Fri blinked, watching him carefully. She grabbed a nearby set of chairs and began stacking them in the center of the room.

Forrest gave her a raised eyebrow look. "Really?" Fri grinned at him. "NO. I'm _not_ standing in a _flowerpot_."

"I'm thinking a pine was the right choice," Jethro said as he found the pail. "Prickly and pointy and not that fun to hug." He stopped in his tracks on his way to get the water. "No...wait...that's a Cacnea…" He shook his head and continued on. "My bad."

Forrest's eyes widened. "Did you just-?!" Before he could finish, Fri wrapped an extra rope from one of the town's rope ladders around him, effectively incapacitating him.

"What in Arceus's name-? Stop-! Let me go!"

She quite easily hefted him up and carted him over her shoulder to the nearest flowerpot. "Don't be difficult, Fluffy," she called as she went. She plopped him down and patted him on the head. "Good tree."

Jethro snorted so hard he hurt his nose, darting out of the room. He found the water tap- amazing how they had one all the way up here- and filled the little pail. He came walking out nonchalantly, snickering when he saw Fri already on the stack of chairs.

"WATER THE TREE, JET!"

Jethro looked around, finally looking at her and pointing to himself. "Me? OH-! Jet, I get it, yeah." He cleared his throat and straightened his composure. "Oh, what a marvelous day in the forest!" he said dramatically, drawing the eyes of everyone around them. "But look!" He gestured to Forrest and dramatically moved over to him, his torso unmoving as his legs carried him over. "This poor tree looks so dry and thirsty!"

Forrest glared at Jethro. "So help me if you…"

Jethro ignored him and looked up to Fri. "Ah, the sun! So bright and beautiful! It'll provide plenty of energy for this poor dried tree!" Fri waved her arms, snickering. A few of the bystanders snickered along with her.

"Of course, one must remember that pine trees not only like water directly to the roots," Jethro pointed out as he tipped the spout down, the water trickling onto Forrest's boots. "They also like their needles being watered." He raised the pail, pouring the water on Forrest's head.

"Accurate, but that was UNCALLED FOR!" Forrest snapped, wriggling and trying to get free as water seeped into his boots. Droplets dripped from his deep brown locks, which were plastered to the sides of his face.

Jethro snorted and took off, half prancing, half running. "I regret nothiiiiing!" he cried as he disappeared behind a corner.

Fri began to laugh, so hard that she actually toppled her chair tower and crashed to the floor completely unfazed. The bystanders couldn't stop their laughing as well.

Forrest wriggled and nearly fell on his face. "UNTIE ME!"

At the man's cry, Jethro came running back out, brandishing his sword above his head and screaming like a madman. He made a B-line to the soaked Gym Leader, raising his arm and drawing it back, preparing to swing. Just as he got close enough, he stopped abruptly and brought the sword down slowly, resting the edge of the blade on the top of the rope. He paused for a moment, looking around the room with an open grin. In the blink of an eye, he swiped the blade down, neatly cutting the rope without touching Forrest's clothes.

"Slice!" he said lightly before bolting out of the room again, while in a high voice saying "Flee…!"

Forrest stepped out of the flowerpot, leaving a large puddle on the floor. He grabbed Fri by the jacket, who was still cracking up, and dragged her away. Jethro could hear him giving her a solidly _stern_ talking to. Jethro smirked and sheathed his sword, poking his head around the corner. "Eez eet safe to come owt yet?" he asked in a strange voice. Forrest glared over at him. "Thaaat's a 'no'," he said quickly and ducked back behind the corner.

Fri came ambling around a few moments later. Forrest was yelling at her from around the corner, but eventually gave up. Jethro and Fri requested rooms from Nurse Joy, who gave them each a set of keys.

"Thank you," Jethro said. He turned and walked down the hallway, finding his room number and unlocking the door. He opened it and peered around the room in awe. The mixture of woods in the room was astonishingly aesthetic! He smirked at the typical color scheme; browns and greens. Nevertheless, they blended quite well together and never came remotely close to clashing.

He turned and smiled to Fri. "I respect this guy's sense of style," he said admirably. "He's got an eye for detail and a knack for design."

Fri nodded from the doorway. "He certainly does." She looked around the room and smirked. It was definitely very 'Forrest'. Obviously, it was designed and put together by him.

"Think I'll turn in," Jethro said, yawning. "I'm pretty tuckered out. Good night, Fri."

Fri waved at him and backed out of the room, closing the door behind her. She let out a sigh as she came face to face with Forrest again.

He was rubbing his hair with a towel and had changed clothes. "We really do need to stop fighting like this."

He grunted at her. "It's your fault." Fri's eyebrow twitched. "It's _our_ fault. I'm not the stuck up one, remember?" Forrest took offense to the comment, and the turned and walked off in a huff. Fri sighed again and made her way to her own room. Unlike the others, this one was decorated in warm colors.

She gave a tiny smile. He hated her, told her to not come back, and yet he hadn't touched her favorite room in the Pokemon Center. "So, he does still care…" She plopped down on the bed and passed out not too long after that.


	6. Chapter 6: Treetops and New Friends

Fri got up early that morning, scaling one of the nearby trees to bask in the sunrise.

Jethro yawned and rubbed his eyes as he woke up. He stretched his arms and moaned as his joints popped. He got out of bed, took his backpack off the chair he had set it on, and slung it over his shoulder. He took the Dusk Ball from the strap and opened the window, releasing his shiny Golurk. The Pokémon gently grabbed hold of the windowsill, allowing Jethro to climb on its back. It then closed the window, leaving it open just a crack, and jumped down, freefalling to the ground. Just as it passed the halfway point of a tree's trunk, it withdrew its hands and legs. Fire erupted from the openings, thrusting the two of them into the air. They shot above the canopy, just in front of where Fri was. Jethro looked back in surprise, noting the flash of red-orange hair.

"Good morning!" he shouted down. He patted Golurk twice, and the Automaton Pokémon halted its ascent, allowing its Trainer to throw his legs up and around. Using the momentum to seat himself on Golurk's shoulder, Jethro took in a long breath of the fresh air and breathed it out again, patting his partner. "Ain't that a view?"

" _I have seen many sunrises and sunsets in my time,"_ Golurk responded. " _And yet none have ever been identical. I find their beauty to be exquisite each time I gaze upon them."_

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Jethro said, smirking. "Here, let's go talk to Fri," he said, and the large Pokémon descended, its arms and legs returning as it landed beside her. "Sorry about that," he said, hopping down. "Didn't realize you were up here."

Fri's eyes hadn't moved from the horizon. "I love the view from this part of the region…"

Jethro and Golurk had floated back down to be somewhat level with Fri. He was about to respond in agreement when his eyes focused on something below him. It was a large building sticking above the canopy like an island on the ocean.

"What is that?" He asked.

Fri slowly drug her gaze downward. "It's the Treetop Town Gym."

Jethro let out a low whistle. "So that's where the mighty Cacnea tree person reigns, huh?" he asked, nodding. "Very nice."

Fri let out a hearty chuckle. "Yeah, that's the place." She smirked. "Wanna go visit?"

"Sure, why not?" he agreed. "One thing, though…do Water-types affect him more than regular Grass-Type Gyms? It seemed like that was the case yesterday."

Fri let out another laugh before jumping forward into the canopy. She reappeared a few seconds later, casually jumping from branch to branch like a Grovyle. Jethro watched her for a few seconds and looked up to Golurk. The Automaton Pokémon merely shrugged its large shoulders and bent down so he could climb aboard again.

It was obvious Fri was heading in the direction of the Gym, even if she were taking the unconventional route. She landed heavily on the top of the giant old tree the building was situated on, turning back to Jethro and waiting. The two of them landed next to her after a few seconds, and Jethro returned his partner to its Dusk Ball.

"You're quite the athlete," he observed. "Very impressive ninja skills."

Fri shrugged. "Not really. Just used to the jungle, I suppose. I never gave it much thought to be honest."

"Nevertheless," Jethro insisted, gesturing his arm towards the Gym. "Ladies first."

Fri tilted her head in another 'alright then' nod. She turned, flinging the large Gym doors open. "HEEELLLOOO! I'm here to make your life torture, Forrest!"

Jethro cringed slightly, shaking his head. "Wrong choice," he muttered. "Note to self; never let her do that again…"

Forrest turned immediately from his position in the Gym. The interior was made to look like scaffolding, but in an intentional sort of way. It was obviously reinforced to make walkways, and the Gym floor was coated in a soft foam like padding to catch particularly clumsy trainers. Jethro nodded to himself as he took it all in, turning in circles to admire the room.

"GET OUT." His voice boomed. He was glaring solely at Fri, but even so, Jethro began subtly scooting back towards the exit.

She yelled up at him "MAKE ME, PRETTY BOY!"

"Well that got awkward in a surprising time of less than fifteen seconds," Jethro muttered to himself, chuckling nervously.

It was obvious that Forrest was irritated quite a bit. He grabbed a nearby rope and jumped from the highest part of the scaffold. He swung down, holding the rope with one hand like a boss, and landed right in front of Fri. He gave her a shove and she pushed back against him, flinging him to the floor. He looked surprised. She grinned down at him in a silent challenge.

"Dah winnah and still champeen," Jethro said, lifting Fri's arm in the air. He then leaned forward and held his arm out, grabbing Forrest's hand and pulling him back onto his feet. "I assume you have a Breloom, what with this being a Grass and apparently partially Fighting-Type Gym."

"It's not, but yeah, I do." Forrest answered, brushing himself off. He grabbed Fri by the arm and began to drag her backward toward the door until she planted her feet and he stopped painfully and abruptly. He tugged on Fri's arm with all his might, and even threw his weight into it, but she didn't budge an inch. "Wha-*huff*what?!" He stopped to catch his breath.

Jethro watched all of this with arms crossed. "I don't know whether I should find this relationship amusing or uncomfortable," he said to himself.

Fri turned to grin at him. She had caught his quiet comment. "Oh don't worry, I'm super easy going with all my friends, not just the guys." She snickered at Forrest, as he tried in vain to move her again. She flung her arm, with seemingly little effort, and tossed him a good length across the room.

Jethro raised an eyebrow and slowly turned his head to look at Forrest and then back to Fri. "This is where I start questioning a lot of things, such as the state of my own health in the future," he said.

Fri winked at him. "No worries," she held her hand up in a peace sign. "I haven't off'd any of 'em yet, and I have no intention to!"

"Even so," he thought. "Anyway, we just stopped by to say hi, wanted to see how you were doing," he said to Forrest. "Which, apparently, was a slight error in judgement, but hey, we see how you're doing right now." He took in a long breath. "Which isn't very amused, to say the least," he said quickly.

Forrest picked himself up and dusted himself off. "Uh-huh." He glared at Fri again. She put her weight to one side, hands in her coat pockets, smiling. He let out a bit of a hiss and turned away. "Aw, come on. Learn to take things less seriously, Forrest! If you don't you'll be miserable for the rest of your life!"

"I'll be less miserable when you leave!" He shot back, bristling.

"Well aren't you just a model host?" Jethro muttered, rolling his eyes. Fri grinned at him, putting a hand to the side of her face. "Naw, it's just because of me. He's usually a lot nicer, promise," she half whispered.

"Coulda fooled me," the wandering hero muttered sideways. His eyes suddenly went wide. He pursed his lips and squinted, looking up to the ceiling. "I just realized I'm still in my pajamas," he said, shaking his head.

Fri snickered. "That just hit ya, did it?" She shook her head. "This is why I get dressed before I leave the room."

"This is what happens when I wake up and go for a flight right away," Jethro replied. "You'd think it'd wake me up, but it's a little more cognitive than that, apparently. I'm just glad I sleep with pajamas, not…considerably less." He rubbed his eyes and the bridge of his nose. "That just went to a whole new degree of awkwardness, I'm just going to go back to the room and get dressed." He turned to walk out.

Fri gave a hearty laugh and nodded. "You go do that. I'll be here, making Forrest's life a nightmare." She grinned mischievously.

"I think the angsty tree man's gotten enough sunlight off of you," Jethro called over his shoulder, picking the Dusk Ball off his backpack strap. "Let's let him get some shade."

"I don't know," Fri called back. "Doesn't look like he's got a sunburn yet!"

"Good comeback. Have fun!"

Fri snickered at Forrest's grimace, but followed Jethro out all the same. The pajama-wearing Trainer released his Golurk once again, and turned to his new friend as it lowered itself down to their level.

"Did you want to fly with, or would you rather ninja-leap all the way there again?" he asked with a grin.

Fri grinned. "Much as I like a good Golurk ride, I prefer flying on my own Pokémon, or Pokémon I know really well." She jumped off the platform, pooffing through the foliage below.

"Oh, this oughta be good, what surprise has she got for us this time?" Jethro asked aloud, following her descent with his head. As Fri fell through the foliage, she landed on a giant bird Pokémon. It turned out to be a Pidgeot. It flapped its powerful wings and came up through the canopy with a majestic screech. It spread its wings, soaring in slow circles above the treetops.

Jethro nodded, his brow raised high. "I was honestly half-expecting a Legandary to carry her up into the sky," he said.

"How she knew it was right there the entire time is of interest," Golurk replied.

"Fair point," the pajama-wearing Trainer said as he climbed on top of his Pokemon again.

There was a loud caterwaul from below them. "No faaaaaiiir!" A man emerged from the trees, looking up with the most pathetic expression. "Pidge is MY Pokémon! How come he gives you a ride so happily but I practically have to ambush him?!"

Fri let out an exasperated sigh and called down to him. "Maybe it's because you're so whiny, Keith!"

Jethro looked down and tilted his head, tapping Golurk and pointing. The two descended down to him, and Golurk extended a large hand.

"Need a lift?" Jethro asked with a smile.

Keith leaned back, as if surprised, before accepting. As Golurk burst up and rose above the Pidgeot, the guy jumped off of Golurk's back, intending to land on the other Pokémon...except he missed.

Jethro was about to react when the Pidgeot caught the man in its talons. Keith whined up at his Pokémon. "Why does she get to ride on your back and I don't? You're my Pokémon!" The Pokémon dove down, dropping his trainer on a platform before landing.

Jethro and Golurk landed just beside the Trainer, the taller Pokémon letting its friend slide down its hands and onto the platform so he could pull the new person up. "And I always thought my relationships with my Pokémon were odd in other people's eyes," he said as he hefted the relatively light man up. "You're saying this Pidgeot is yours?"

Keith let out a small huff. "I raised it from an egg, the ingrate." At his insult, the Pokémon pecked him on the head another several times, producing a series of obnoxious squawks from the poor boy.

"Could have fooled me," Jethro muttered as he raised an eyebrow.

Keith swatted at the Pokémon, who fluffed his feathers and let out an angry squawk. He flung his wing out, knocking his trainer down.

"Oh, come on, big guy," Jethro said, stepping forward to rub the feathers on the Pidgeot's chest. "He didn't mean it, did you, uh… Keith, was it?"

Keith's eyes narrowed. "You say that like you've never heard of me…"

Jethro raised an eyebrow again as he continued rubbing the large bird's feathers. "Should I have…?" he asked slowly.

Keith's eyes widened. "International pop and rock music sensation? Did dozens of tours? Sold thousands of albums?!"

The feather-rubbing stopped as Jethro narrowed his eyes. "You have Pokémon that perform on stage with you, correct? There's…what, two Pikachu that play a giant keyboard…? You're starting to look more familiar, the more I think about it."

Keith rolled his eyes. "Half recognition...at least you haven't been living under a Rock Type your WHOLE life. Yeah, that's me." He waved, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, I'm not the only one," Jethro pointed out. "I don't see any hint of you recognizing me at all."

"Maybe because I don't know who you are…?" Keith came a little closer, studying Jethro carefully. Jethro thought he just barely heard the man mumble "Kinda cute," under his breath. He stepped back, cleared his throat and held out his hand.

"Jethro Striker," he said, smiling as he always did with his introduction. "More commonly known as the Wandering Hero, especially in the Hoenn Region. Defeated the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Unova Regions."

A glint of recognition flickered in Keith's crystal blue eyes. "Dear Arceus…" He smiled wide, and then remembered his rudeness and his embarrassing Pokémon and blushed deeply, turning away.

The taller Trainer's brow furrowed, turning to Fri in confusion. "Soooo...that means he recognizes me, or…?"

Fri's eyes widened and she had to take a moment to keep from physically laughing hysterically. She nodded. "Yeah...among other things." She wheezed, holding her sides, a bright smile on her face.

It took a few seconds for an idea to click into his head. His eyebrows shot up as his head angled down, and then they furrowed again as he slowly brought a hand to his face. "So he did say I was cute," he muttered, taking a deep breath in and then sighing, putting the palms of his hands together.

"Okay, no offense or anything, and I mean no disrespect, but...I have a girlfriend. Her name is Felicia. You know Flannery? Gym Leader of Lavaridge in Hoenn? Yeah, that's her cousin."

Keith stood bolt upright, back flat as a board, arms at his sides. His discomfort at his obvious self-caused humiliation clear. "Yup, know EXACTLY who you mean." He refused to look at Jethro after that, and turned his gaze anywhere but on the Wandering Hero.

"Alrighty, glad we could clear that up, so!" He turned to Fri, breathing in and raising a finger as he was about to say something, but stopped. "What exactly were we doing, again…?" he asked.

"You were putting on real clothes." Fri smiled, raising an eyebrow in a 'Remember NOW?' sort of way.

Jethro looked down at himself and blinked. "Oh, yeah…" he muttered, scrambling back on top of Golurk. "To the Pokémon Center!" he cried in a dramatic tone, and the Automaton Pokémon burst up, leaving the other three in a cloud of smoke and a gust of wind. They zipped up to his room, cracking the window back open as he crawled back in and changed in a hurry.


	7. Chapter 7: The Flight to Shadyhollow

Fri and Keith waited for him on the platform, Keith awkwardly talking things over with her. Jethro came running to them from the door of the Center, fully clothed in his collared shirt and cargo jeans. "Much more appropriate for the outdoors," he said, grinning. "So, Shadyhollow… shall we?"

Fri nodded. "Yup. Should we walk till the end of the jungle, or fly?"

"Whatever you think would be best," Jethro said, smiling lightly. "You know this Region better than I do, so whichever method you think is better for the occasion."

Fri grinned mischievously. "Well, ok then…" Jethro's brow flattened out. _I have a feeling I may not like what she has in mind,_ he thought.

She led the two guys to a paddock full of what appeared to be alicorns.

"Oh, those are cool…what are they, exactly?" Jethro asked, beginning to pull his Pokédex out.

"Thundallion and Mair. They evolve from male and female Nimboal, respectively," Fri responded before he could activate it.

Jethro raised an eyebrow inquisitively, scrolling through the Pokédex to see what a Nimboal was. As he found its data entry, its image reminded him of a Ponyta, but with a mane made of clouds instead of fire. "Huh. Alrighty then," he said, intrigued.

Fri gave a few clicks of her tongue and two Mair and a Thundallion came trotting over, whinnying gently. "Hello there." She rubbed their faces. " _Nice to see you again!"_ The Pokémon grunted in response. Fri climbed the fence until she was standing on the top board and then jumped onto the taller Mair's back. Keith followed, hesitantly climbing on the smaller Mair.

"So I get to ride this one then," Jethro said as he looked carefully at the Thundallion. He was huge, with a barrel rib cage and glossy black fur. His brilliant yellow mane and tail were scattered in the wind, making him look a little scruffy. He snorted, shifting his large lightning bolt shaped wings. He had a jagged yellow horn coming from his forehead.

In contrast, Fri and Keith's Mair had bright white fur with blue wispy patches on their flanks. Rounded feather wings, and a straight horn from each forehead, and they had wispy, watery manes and tails. They looked a lot less intimidating.

"Well, hopefully this isn't too different from riding a Rapidash," he said softly, reaching up and gently stroking the large creature's muzzle. The Pokémon just blinked down at him with its big dark eyes and snorted again. Jethro copied Fri and Keith's mounting method, and managed to haul himself onto the Thundallion's back. None of the Pokémon had saddles, and the Thundallion was significantly taller than the two Mair.

Agitated, the Pokémon took several quick steps before Jethro patted his neck. "Whoa, easy there, buddy, easy. I'm just needing a ride out of the jungle," he said softly

There was a clatter and commotion and Forrest suddenly appeared. He turned straight to Fri. "No," he said flatly.

Fri grinned. "Too late. Right ladies?" The pair of Mair whinnied enthusiastically. It was clear they wanted to spread their wings and fly.

Jethro looked between the two, a little nervous of what might happen. "All of a sudden it's clear what that smile was all about earlier," he muttered to himself. "Why do I find myself unsurprised…?"

"Besides, they know the way back. It'll be fine," Fri was saying. Forrest glared at her. "No," came the curt reply again.

Fri waved him off. "Too bad. We need a ride out of the jungle and this is the fastest way. Hyah!" She whacked the Mair on the rump and it whinnied and took off, Keith's Mair and Jethro's Thundallion following it. The Hoenn native squawked as the Pokémon underneath him bolted off after the other two.

"Um…" he called ahead of him, "...did we just steal a bunch of Pokémon?!"

Fri grinned at him over her shoulder. "Course not! We borrowed 'em, we just didn't pay for the ride like everyone else!"

Jethro rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I swear, this woman is either going to get me killed or arrested before we even get _close_ to the Grand Champion," he said to no one in particular, deciding he could be talking to his…'borrowed' steed. "Not _quite_ how I pictured this day going, but hey, it works." He looked to Fri again. "I don't think that was the best idea!" he called.

"Calm down! I do this all the time! Forrest just has his panties in a wad because we're fighting right now! He won't do anything drastic!" As she finished, they began to descend.

The Pokémon landed just shy of the trees they had left behind. Spread before them was a mass of golden grasslands and hills. "Cripes, this region is like its own tiny planet!" Jethro marveled, his hand running through his hair. "First there are plains, then an oceanfront, then a jungle, and now grassland!"

Fri grinned. "Yup. And in the south it has volcanic wasteland that fire Pokémon love, bordered by a tiny desert, and even frozen peaks in the far south."

"I rest my case," Jethro muttered.

They all jumped off the Pokémon, who immediately took off back the way they had come. Fri waved at them. "Thanks for the ride!" There was a distant whinny in reply.

She turned on her heel and began to stroll casually through the tall grasses. In the distance, Jethro could see a black spot on the horizon. Fri seemed to be heading straight for it.

"Shadyhollow, right?" Fri winked at him.

"How did you guess?"

He suddenly realized something and frowned. "If this is a direct Route from Treetop Town to Shadyhollow, why exactly is there no visible path?"

Fri shrugged. "Lots of people go into the jungle...not so many come back **out**. You do the math."

Thinking back to the lake, he could see why. "Uh-huh...a little...what's the word I'm looking for, something like Macabre…?"

Fri chuckled. "I meant lots of people choose to stay in Treetop Town, which has all its supplies delivered by AirMair. So there's no path because people almost never leave."

"...oh," the Wanderer finally said after a few silent moments. "I can understand that. Nice town, nice folks- Forrest is debatable on that remark- _amazing_ view…

Fri chuckled, a knowing smile crossing her face. "He's really not so bad when he isn't throwing a hissyfit."

"Who isn't?" Jethro asked himself under his breath. "So, anyway… where do we go from here?"

Fri pointed at the black spot on the horizon. "It's a straight shot right to Shadyhollow." Now that he looked closer, it looked like there was a storm brewing above the town...and only the town.

"Uhhhh…" he held the note for a few seconds. "Do I wanna know the story on this one? Because I'm starting to find the list of surprises and new discoveries...somewhat extensive."

Keith shivered. "I hate that place! Why do we have to go **there?!** " His voice had taken on a fearful and whiny tone.

Fri smacked him lightly on the back of the head and he complained more. "Stop being a wimp. You know that's how we get to Victory Bridge."

"But, Fri-" She cut him off. "Hush. You whine too much."

"I take it that the answer to my question is a 'no' then," Jethro muttered to himself. "Alright, so what makes this place so frightening, I risk my own mental sanity by asking this, by the way."

Fri looked thoughtful. Jethro could see her tongue pushing against her cheek as she tried to decide which words to use to start her story.

"The place has always been dark...natives avoided it like the plague (or a Trubbish pile). About 150 years or so ago, a wealthy businessman decided to settle the place...the jungle was bigger then, and bordered the spot directly."

She paused before continuing, as if she were remembering how it looked herself. "The natives warned him against it...they said it attracted bad spirits and that he was doomed to failure. He didn't listen and began construction on the town anyway."

Jethro glanced over at Keith. He looked ready to jump out of his skin. "Since the day he began building...the site has had all kinds of horrible accidents. People passed away, Pokémon passed away. Eventually a large cemetery began to form outside town."

Keith shivered. "Gives me the heebie jeebies...that place is cursed."

"For those of you from Kanto, ring any bells?" Jethro said from one side of his mouth. He shook his head. "Interesting thing about this Region, Number… I forget, really… Town with a flippin' cemetery! How enticing…"

Fri raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, sort of like a flat Pokémon Tower. I wasn't completely done yet…"

"Strange things continue to happen. A darkness unparalleled hangs over the city constantly. Dark alleyways are abundant...and so are strange and sometimes dangerous figures looming in them. People go missing and don't come back, or return and just aren't the same...doors open to houses like they should one minute and other places the next. People end up halfway across the region with no way back and Pokémon growl at nothing. People are a little...unwelcoming there if you can't read them properly. Can't really blame them though."

Jethro let out a sound that was a mix between a chuckle and a nervous squeak. "Nope," he said. "Nope. No no no, nopety nope nope no- the only reassurance I have right now is that my Golurk is part Ghost Type…"

Fri smiled at him. "What? The Wandering Hero has no sense of curiosity or mystery or adventure?" She shook her head. "I think it's fascinating...and a little ironic, considering we have a city in the region called Ciudad de Muerte...City of Death. It's more lively than Shadyhollow, by miles!"

"Definitely seeing the irony there," Jethro said with wide eyes. He suddenly turned to the town and straightened up. "Well…ain't gettin' any deader!" He walked on. "Oh, what wonders and mysteries await us today in the town of Shadyhollow… yay…"


	8. Chapter 8: Great Grandpa Leon

Just about every noise caused him to jump...mist swirled around his legs and a twig seemed to snap every ten seconds…finally he couldn't take the crushing silence. It was like having a Wailord on his chest. "Alright, this is way too creepy for me, taking calming maneuvers!"

His sudden outburst caused Keith to squeal like a little girl and dive behind Fri for protection. She whacked him solidly on the head. "Grow a backbone, bonehead!" He squealed again and pouted at her. "You're so mean!" She lifted one eyebrow. "And you're such a wimp!"

"Finally, a little dialogue," Jethro breathed, slightly more calmed.

* * *

"Aw, come now, Jethro," Valin said, chuckling as he crossed his arms. "You weren't that scared at Pokémon Tower in Kanto."

"This wasn't the Pokémon Tower in Kanto," Jethro retorted, eyebrows up and a finger in his cousin's direction. "This was at least twenty times worse."

"At least?"

"That bad."

* * *

Fri let out a breath, and Jethro could see it. Like, actually see it hanging in the air in a white cloud. He didn't feel like it was that cold...so what was causing it?

"Fri...your breath…" She nodded. "Yeah, I can see it too. Ignore it. It's fine." Jethro let out a breath to calm himself. _You can do this...you've been to the Pok_ _émon Tower and Mount Pyre...you can do this._

A sudden movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he snapped his head to the right to look at it...but there was nothing there.

"Sometimes I hate having eyes attuned to movement this well," he muttered as he took the Dusk Ball off his backpack strap. "Is it alright if I let Golurk out?" he asked her.

Fri stopped and turned to him. "Well...it is a Ghost Type, but...it feels a little big and intrusive for this space…" She spread her arms out to indicate the mass of gravestones. "It's crowded here...can you feel that?" She took a Pokeball from her own belt and let her Chandelure out. It seemed happy to be there, and spun ahead a foot or so, casting a creepy purple glow on things. "I'd let out another but...it's already so crowded here."

"Yeah," Jethro said quietly. Eerily enough, he actually could feel what she meant; crowded. With...more than just _their_ sentience and presence, it seemed. He put the Dusk Ball back and gripped his sword scabbard tighter with his left hand.

Keith dove behind Fri again as a bloodcurdling scream came from behind them. Fri turned, her eyes scanning the mist carefully, but there was no figure to claim the voice...but there was a fourth set of footprints just a few steps back from their own…

Jethro's knuckles were white as his hand clenched around his sword handle. He had pivoted on one foot, taking a prepared stance as his eyes looked through the mist carefully. "Alright… I'm seriously hoping that was a Misdreavous or Mismagius," he said, feeling his heartbeat in his face. "Who's there?" he called at the fourth set of footprints. "We wish no one any harm…" he glanced down to his sword. "... the metal toothpick's just for defense, and I'm letting it go now," he added, slowly prying his fingers off the handle.

There was a creepy, disembodied giggle somewhere nearby. They turned to face it. A pair of big bright red eyes was staring at them from the mist. They had the tiniest little black pupils in the center.

"Alright…" Jethro said, his face whitening with his knuckles. "Looks kinda small to be a Gengar and the color's just slightly off, but… hey, this is Mara. What else could happen at this point?"

Two pairs of three red stripes appeared next to each eye...like they were adorning a pair of cheeks. Jethro frowned. A Gengar didn't have those. "U-Um… okay, there's _that…_ which is weird, uhh..."

Fri snapped her fingers, drawing all attention to her. She held her hand out and the eyes floated toward it...slowly a purple form began to materialize and the Pokemon became clearer. It was obviously NOT a Gengar.

Jethro let out an exasperated breath and relaxed, shaking his head. "Let me guess," he said, looking to Fri with a knowing grin. "This is that other Eeveelution you were talking about?"

Fri grinned. "One of them." He looked down and pulled out his Pokédex, and as he looked back up he saw the Pokémon staring at him...with its head turned all the way around like a Noctowl. He reared his head back in a grimace.

"Okay, no," he said flatly, looking back to the Dex. "That's just not right. Stop staring, I can still see you," he said, pointing at it without looking up.

The device chimed and began speaking.

 _ **Obliveon, the Bad Omen Pok**_ _ ** _é_ mon.**_

 _ **Type: Ghost.**_

 _ **A ghostly evolution of Eevee. Like all Ghost Types, Obliveon love to scare people. They are almost always grinning and startle people by only showing their red markings, eyes, and their smiles. Ghost Hunters often mistake them for Gengar.**_

"Gee, _I_ coulda told you that," Jethro muttered as the device closed back up and deactivated. He put it in his pocket and gestured to it. "Is this one actually yours, or another friend?" he asked.

Fri turned to him. "Mine is in Ciudad de Muerte with the Gym Leaders...and none of my friends own one." She grinned slowly and his eyes widened a bit in nervousness.

"Boy, aren't you just the epiphany of good news today?" he asked dryly. "So another friend it is. Cool. Anyone _else_ I should be concerned about here?" he asked, spreading his arms out.

There was a sudden flash, of figures…and for a split second he could see over a hundred Ghost Pokémon all crammed into the space...among other...things.

Keith screeched in terror and latched onto Fri for dear life, who crossed her arms.

"Why…do I do this to myself?" Jethro squeaked in an octave that wouldn't normally be possible for him. He cleared his throat and clapped his hands together. "Okay," he said in his semi-normal voice, "so that answers that question. How much farther can I tempt fate, I wonder- please…don't answer, I don't wanna know."

A series of strange and eerie laughs followed his sentence. Keith was visibly trembling, and Fri had to put her arms around him and squeeze him to make him stop.

"Me and my big mouth- I swear, if you're behind this somehow..." Jethro said, squinting at the Obliveon. "Can I release Golurk _now,_ or would this be a worse time than before?"

Fri shook her head. "I wouldn't. Unless you **want** to start a battle with…" she spread her arms out. "That. Just keep walking, calmly." She scratched the Obliveon behind the ears and it hummed creepily.

"'Calmly', she says," Jethro muttered, following Fri. "Yeah, walk calmly when there's a conglomerate mass of spirits-" he cut off as he realized his own voice was echoing. He stopped and pursed his lips in irritation. "Not cool, dude!" he said in an accent to try and ease his twitching nerves.

He was answered with an angry screech directly next to his face. Startled, he jumped back, eyes wide. He spun and began to speed walk in what he assumed was the direction Fri was heading. Not paying attention, he bumped into something large...and white...with blue and red.

"Vell," he said, patting the thing in front of him to get a feel of its texture, as well as an eerie feel through his nervous system. "Hi…"

The thing began to move, turning on him. It let out a loud cry that was...oddly calming. Even Keith began to calm down. Jethro slowly looked up at the massive Pokémon. It was taller than an Ursaring and longer than an Arbok. It was a slightly transparent pure white, with horns on its head and a pale blue spot in the middle of its body. It had two sets of pale blue wings and a large red cloth attached to its neck. Its long thin tail was surrounded by three gold rings and ended in a shape like the crest on Articuno's head. It had four clawed feet. Red circlets adorned each of its 'elbow' joints.

Jethro blinked at it several times before tilting his head. It mirrored him, its head tilting with his back and forth. He slowly reached down and pulled out the Pokédex again, pressing the black button and letting it flip open and scan the being in front of him.

 _ **Hitotagon, the Soul Guide Pokemon.**_

 _ **Type: Dragon/Ghost.**_

 _ **Hitotagon know exactly when their Trainers are about to pass away. As a last act of loyalty to the Trainer, these Pok**_ _ ** _é_ mon will guide their souls once they die.**_

Jethro looked up with newfound awe at the Pokemon in front of him. He slowly reached out, touching his fingertips lightly to its muzzle. "That's probably why you're here, huh?" he asked, his fear having disappeared entirely. "You've guided a soul…and now you're watching over it…?"

It let out another cry. A high pitched howl, similar to a Dragonair but wispier.

"Yeah, you must've really liked whoever it is you're watching over," he said softer, stroking its cheeks and jaw. "You know, you may possibly be one of the cutest Pokémon I've seen of your size."

It let out a happy trill and nuzzled its face into his hand. He smiled and chuckled, rubbing his hand against its jaw and up on the top of its muzzle. He looked into its eyes. "How long have you been here…?" he wondered aloud.

The Pokémon let out a tiny noise, almost like a grunt. Jethro frowned a bit. Man, this translation thing got hard to readjust to after a while. "Sorry, I…" he sighed. "I can usually understand Pokémon, but for some reason...I just can't quite catch your dialect yet… can you repeat that, please?"

Once again, the only response he could hear was a grunt, but slower, as if it were trying to repeat its answer more slowly. Jethro grimaced slightly, and he hung his head. He blinked as he noticed how the earth was different underneath the Hitotagon; it was cleaner, more kept. As if the time it had spent here had been incredibly extensive. He looked up and into the distance, pondering something. The air around this Pokémon… it was warmer and less hostile in the immediate area, as if Hitotagon had been projecting a certain aura to keep its former friend at peace.

He looked into the eyes of the Pokémon and put his hand gently to its forehead. "Long time," he said understandingly. "A very long time." It gently bunted its forehead against his own. "I'm sorry for your loss," he said softly. "I'm sure the one you're watching over is grateful for how long you've stayed. You're a very good friend."

It let out a heavy breath, looking him straight in the eyes. Its eyelids slowly slid closed and Jethro let out a quick gasp. The world around them faded to a gentle white color, leaving the two of them standing alone.

"What is…?" he asked, his voice echoing in the void.

" _This is the way we bond,"_ Hitotagon's voice echoed.

And suddenly, he could see it. Everything from Hitotagon's life...like a fast forwarded movie. Its memories, the bond it had with its former trainer...the amount of time...a whole 50 or so years, that it spent watching over that trainer's soul.

Emotions welled up and swirled inside him like a great and mighty storm. He had a hard time holding back tears as a sob caught in his throat.

" _Do not cry, Wandering Hero. Death is not the end."_

Confused, Jethro looked at Hitotagon. "What do you mean?"

" _Shall I show you?"_

"Well, since you have my full and undivided attention, I suppose so," Jethro gasped.

" _Very well."_

The white void began to fill in as Hitotagon wrapped its tail around him. " _Do not let go of me, or you will be trapped here forever."_

"Oh, _very_ comforting indeed."

" _Death is not the end. Those who die simply abandon their bodies in this dimension and move on to another."_

Slowly, a foreign but beautiful world began to emerge, yet it was vaguely familiar. He recognized the shape of the land. They were practically in the same place here, but not the same dimension.

They sky was white, and cloudless. The ground was covered in brilliant and colorful plants. It was...strange to say the least.

"Alright…gettin' really trippy here," Jethro said in a state of disbelief. A strange little Skitty ambled up to him. "Nyah!" it mewed.

He bent down to pick it up before realizing that he recognized it. It was normal pink, but had white ears and a little scarf. He had seen this Skitty...in a picture with his now-deceased great grandfather in it.

"Hey, lil' buddy," he said, cradling it in his arms and scratching it behind the ears. He looked up as he heard a pair of slow footsteps approaching. He nearly turned as white as the sky, and almost dropped the Skitty in his arms.

"Hey, kiddo," a familiar, low, light voice said. Jethro's great grandfather stood before him, leaning on his polished Steelix-spike cane. His soft green eyes sparkled and crinkled as he smiled, his bushy white mustache lifting at the corners. He wore a faded version of Jethro's shirt, and baggy khaki pants over brown leather shoes. His silver half-moon glasses glinted the white sky.

Jethro's heart stopped momentarily as he registered who he was seeing. He swallowed hard before taking a deep breath. "Hey, Great Grandpa Leon," he said. The older man smiled widely, opening his arms wide. Jethro rushed forward, keeping his guide's tail around him and setting Skitty down before embracing his elder. "I missed you so much," he sobbed.

"I've missed you too, bud," Leon said, patting Jethro on the back. He pulled his great grandson back and looked him up and down. "Cripes, did you get tall?" he chuckled. Jethro laughed as he sniffled and wiped a tear away.

"I got it from you," he said. It was true; they were practically the same height!

"Got my good looks, too, eh?" Leon asked, lightly nudging Jethro's arm like old men do. They both laughed heartily, Jethro doubling over. "Got all sorts of girls chasin' after ya? Chasin' 'em back?"

"Ohh, there's been plenty after me," Jethro chuckled. "But none of them can compare to my Felicia."

"Felicia?" Leon asked, squinting a little as he tried to remember the name. "Ohh, hey, that's one of ol' Moore's grandkids, ain't she?"

"Yeah, the younger of the two."

"Really? Kinda thought Flannery would get you at some point or another."

"Well, she actually tried flirting with me once, but Felicia won that competition."

"Glad to hear it. How'd she turn out?"

"Hang on, I have a picture here somewhere…" Jethro dug in his pocket for his PokéNav, hoping he would be able to find it in this realm. Sure enough, the device was still in his pocket, and he pulled it out, flipping the screen up and sorting through his pictures. Leon looked at the device curiously.

"Devon Corporation?" he asked.

"Yep."

"Kinda figured," Leon chuckled. "That boy always had big ideas…" He leaned forward as Jethro presented a picture of the two of them; he had snuck a picture when they had been cuddling once, and Felicia had fallen asleep on him, one hand slowly dragging down his chest from his shoulder. Leon whistled lowly, his eyebrows raising. "I can see why you don't go chasin' girls," he admitted. Jethro laughed and put the device away. "She looks like a sweet girl."

"Oh, she's wonderful," Jethro said, beaming. "She'll get after me if I don't keep in touch with her enough, and she even knocked me out once when I surprised her by sneaking up behind her after being gone a while."

"She's a keeper," Leon said flatly. Jethro doubled over laughing, and Leon laughed heartily, lightly punching his great grandson in the shoulder.

Jethro looked around him as his laughter began to subside. "Grandpa Leon...how exactly do you live in all this?" he asked. His great grandfather winked.

"Sun's about to go down, bud." As he spoke, the sky rippled and became pitch black. As Jethro watched, a star appeared, a blue one. And then a pink one...and then the sky exploded into a rainbow of twinkling dots.

"Wow…," he breathed. It was beautiful and he was taken by it.

Leon laughed lightly. "You should see the sky when there are clouds." Jethro's eyebrow rose as he slowly dragged his gaze back to the man.

Before he could speak, he gave a gasp and grabbed his chest. It felt like he was suffocating. "What's...going on…?!" he gasped the words.

" _We have stayed too long. Your body is fighting this. You are not ready for this world right now. You are slowly dying. I will take you back now."_ As the Pokémon finished speaking, the world around him began to fade and his breathing became easier. He looked back to his great grandfather one last time to see him waving, a small tear falling down his cheek. He barely caught him mouth the words "Love ya, kiddo. Proud of you," before he finally left the realm.

As the waking world he was used to came into view, he saw Fri. She was sitting on the ground, leaning against a tombstone. Keith was sitting between her legs leaning against her, somehow asleep among the crushing pressure of the ghosts and the creepy atmosphere of the graveyard.

Jethro let out a deep breath, putting a hand to his chest, thankful he was still tangible and alive.

"...Hey." Fri spoke flatly. She seemed unsurprised.

"Hey," Jethro replied. "Sup? I miss anything?"

"You've been gone for three hours."

"...Time flies when you're meeting your dead relatives in a different realm...?"

Fri let out a chuckle. "I wouldn't know, but if that's what you say happened I believe you. Let's get into town, yeah? This doofus tuckered himself out when he went berserk after you disappeared." She looked down at Keith, who was slumbering peacefully. She stood, gently and hefted him into her arms.

"No arguments here," Jethro said, shuddering as he recalled where they were. He turned back to Hitotagon. "Would you like to come with us?" he asked. "It's up to you if you wish to stay or come with."

The Pokémon nodded and padded toward him. It would come with them.

He smiled and patted its muzzle. "Thank you," he said, bunting his forehead to its own.


	9. Chapter 9: Gym Leader Luna

The actual TOWN of Shadyhollow was almost as creepy as the graveyard. Hissing steam came from vents in the sides of buildings and the streetlights flickered. It was early evening everywhere else, but here it was already black as night, likely due to the unnerving mass of swirling dark clouds overhead, not to mention the dark facades of the buildings.

As the trio walked (well technically the pair walked and Keith was carried), they slowly made their way through the streets, which oddly enough were cobbled.

Jethro had the distinct feeling he was being watched, but couldn't find a source for the sensation. Fri turned back to him and was about to say something when she biffed it on an uneven patch of sidewalk and nearly dropped Keith. She managed to stay upright, but ended up shaking him awake.

He opened his mouth to speak and all tenderness Fri had for him was immediately gone. She promptly dumped him on the ground and began to walk away.

His whine of shock was loud and echoing, and Jethro helped him to his feet. "Thanks." Jethro nodded and began to reply when he froze...and turned visibly white. Fri turned back in a huff when she realized they weren't following, "What?"

Standing in the alleyway behind Keith was a ridiculously tall, jet black humanoid figure with long limbs and glowing white eyes. Keith turned, slowly, and his eyes widened. The figure reached for him and he blinked rapidly, his brain finally processing what he was looking at.

He screeched in terror, a shrill and high pitched noise, and dove into Jethro's arms forcing the man to catch him. With his arms full with Keith, reaching his sword was impossible, so all he could do was watch in terror as the... _ **thing**_ approached and came ever closer.

When it was inches away, Fri reached out and poked it. It rippled like the surface of a pond and disappeared, leaving behind the playful snickers of a little charcoal and red fox. A Zorua.

Keith and Jethro let out a mutual sigh of relief. Jethro paused, looking down at Keith, who looked back up at him and blinked. "Um…" Jethro let him down gently and he just stood there blinking. "So yeah, if anyone asks, that never happened, alright?" Keith just nodded dumbly. "Ok then," Jethro nodded and turned to the Pokémon before them.

The little fox snickered again and ran off, weaving around their feet as it went. "Cute little troublemaker, those Zorua," Jethro smirked in admiration.

Fri shrugged and turned on her heel, walking casually down the street. Jethro was having a hard time telling if she was truly fearless, which was admirable to say the least, or just too crazy and reckless to give two Hoothoots about anything.

Keith refused to walk behind them, so he was latched onto Fri's coat. Every noise made him whimper. _I never realized he was this easy to frighten. A little sad, really. Still, I suppose he doesn't have to worry about stage fright by any means._ Jethro and his newest Pokémon followed the pair. The streets were winding and uneven, and the inexplicable excess of misty steam made it hard to see. It was almost like walking around in the Distortion World or something.

Jethro glanced down an alleyway as they passed it and froze. He took a second look, to find his eyes hadn't deceived him. "Felicia?" She giggled and waved at him, smiling.

"Hi!" Dumbfounded, he turned abruptly and slowly began to approach her. " _No, wait! It is not reality!"_ But Hitotagon's words were lost to him.

"What in Arceus' Name are you doing _here_?!" he asked in bewilderment, smiling the closer to her he got.

"I came to visit, silly," she giggled childishly. He began to feel just a tad bit light headed, but ignored it, assuming it was all the steam and fog, and maybe that he was happy to see her.

"That's great! I...wanted to show...you a lot of...things…" He was horribly dizzy now, and it was a wonder he was still on his feet.

He continued to stumble forward, nearly toppling over. Felicia was grinning horribly as he hit the cobblestones and looked up at her. "Fe...licia…" He felt a sudden harsh yank on his collar. As he looked up, he saw a spinning image of Fri dragging him out of the alley. As his head began to clear he began to fight. "Hey! Wait, my-!" Fri flung him forward.

" _ **Idiot**_ _!_ Do you _**want**_ to turn into a ghost, too?!" she shouted in his face.

He gave her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

She pointed to the alley. "Take a good _**long**_ look!" He peered into the alley, squinting. Slowly, the form of Felicia began to fade into an unusual shape. Sitting nonchalantly in the middle of the alley was a large round Pokémon he was not familiar with. It was purple and swirling, with green dots on its face and a big, green, jagged smile. Its eyes were also green and jagged. It appeared to be attached to a small stone. "Wh-what? What _is_ that?"

Fri snorted. "It's a Spiritomb. A deadly and malicious Pokémon by nature. It hails from the Sinnoh Region. If I hadn't pulled you back it would have devoured your life force and you'd be just as much of a Ghost as _**it**_ is."

Jethro's eyes widened. He had heard stories of this Pokémon, but hadn't actually seen one before. He shuddered, gulping loudly. "Thanks." Fri nodded.

"Sure, just don't go wandering off again, yeah? I know you're the Wandering Hero or whatever but it's Follow the Leader time, kay?"

"You got it," Jethro said, shaking his head and creasing his brow at the Spiritomb. "Would it be wise to call out-" Before he could finish asking, the Spiritomb lifted off the ground and wisped away, a small knocking sound following it as it ran into a nearby building. "Well nevermind then," he muttered, irritated.

"You _**could**_ at least listen to this big guy." She patted his Hitotagon. "He came to get me when he noticed you wandering away down a creepy alley. Pay more attention to him." She scratched his chin and he hummed.

"Gotcha. Listen to new friends number one and number two," the Wandering Hero said, dusting himself off and sticking to Hitotagon's side. He rubbed the large Pokémon's side gently. "Did your previous friend give you a nickname?" he asked.

" _Yes,"_ Hitotagon said, nodding slowly. " _I was known by my friend as 'Tota'. Apparently it was easier to pronounce."_

"Hmm…A bit too simple for me, to be honest," Jethro muttered thoughtfully. "How about…Spiritwalker? Would that be acceptable?"

Hitotagon's gaze focused forward, peering into nothingness in thought. After a few moments of silence, it nodded to one side. " _An interesting choice for a nickname,"_ it decided. " _But sensible enough, in a way. Very well. You may refer to me as Spiritwalker from now on if you wish."_

"Excellent," Jethro said, patting its back. "Welcome to the family."

* * *

Fri led them through the streets slowly, until it began to get ever so slightly lighter. They rounded a corner to meet the gentle glow of a strange silvery building. It had a large crescent shape overhanging the front of it, as though it were set into a cove below a cliff.

The shapes were all smooth and elegant. Fri led them straight up to the gilded doors, which she pushed open delicately.

The inside of the building immediately hinted it was a Gym with the standard pair of statues just inside the entrance. They were silver too. The room was held up by tall, dark, shiny columns, and consisted of a walkway surrounded on either side by shimmering silver pools of water.

Gentle light filtered from several soft lanterns, both hanging and standing near the edges of the room.

Jethro looked up and let his jaw drop. The ceiling of the room was vaulted ridiculously high, and covered in a thousand glittering stars. They were actually Moonstones. Thousands of shards of them.

The walkway opened up into a large round plaza of sorts, with a large shining silvery crescent moon at the back. Its glow was really all that the Gym needed for a light source, the rest of the lights being more for show.

The building was pleasantly cool, and though Jethro could feel the chill on his skin it was actually a welcome sensation, oddly enough. This place felt a little too calm and peaceful for a Gym.

Sitting on the floor in front of the moon was a young woman of about Fri's age. She had bright white hair, except for a small part that was a sort of navy color. It reminded Jethro of an Absol. She wore a navy sleeveless turtleneck and skinny jeans, with a pair of tall white boots and tall black fingerless gloves.

"Luna." For once, Fri was unnaturally quiet. Her voice was barely a whisper yet it carried across the large room. The only response for a long time was the lapping of the water against the walkway. "Flame," Luna spoke softly, addressing Fri in a very respectful manner.

Jethro stood a little straighter and bowed to the Gym Leader. "Miss Luna," he said lowly, keeping his voice down. He looked around the Gym as his voice echoed a little louder and deeper than he thought it would, and quieted his voice a little further. "My name is Jethro Striker. It is an honor to meet you."

Luna nodded to him as she stood and walked quietly and elegantly up to them. As she approached, Jethro had a hard time deciding if he should be surprised or not at what he saw.

Luna's eyes were red, and her skin a pale porcelain white. She was an albino, the dark in her hair being dyed in. She had a delicate face, and her lips were pouty and painted in pink lip gloss. Her eyes were rimmed with dark mascara and eyeshadow, making them stand out even more.

"Certainly fits the look of the town she's the Gym Leader of," he muttered flatly, putting one hand to his hip and the other hanging lazily on his sword pommel.

Luna turned to him, confused. She was very quiet and polite. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Striker." She bowed deeply once and turned back to Fri. "Is there something I can assist you with, Flame?"

Fri shook her head. "Not at all. Just passing through." It was weird, seeing them together. Frita refused to act like she had with the others, like she had a higher respect for this woman. It was like they were polar opposites. Luna the quiet and cool moon and Fri the bright and heated sun. Jethro shook his head in disbelief.

"It's like sitting by and watching a conversation between the two celestial bodies themselves," he whispered sideways to Keith.

Keith nodded. "Luna is my favorite Gym Leader of Mara," he whispered back. "She's so polite and calm. Balances her," he indicated Fri, "out nicely."

Jethro merely hummed lightly, nodding in understanding agreement. "I'm just respecting and admiring the fact that she has the tenacity and respect to keep a lower profile for someone," he admitted.

Keith nodded. "One of the few people who have that effect on her."

"I see…quite impressive," Jethro murmured. "So, what does she know about this mysterious Grand Champion, anyway?"

Keith raised his eyebrows. "Oh...she...they're very... _close_." Jethro squinted at him and the man looked away awkwardly. Apparently that suspiciously vague response was all he was gonna get.

"Alright, then."

Fri turned back to look at them. "Wanna do a little meditating?" Jethro raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"You? _You_ meditate? Really?" It was hard to believe anyone like her could be calm enough for the mindset required to meditate.

"Yes, I do. It's very helpful to me. I learned from Medicham, the best of the best. So, what do you say?" She rested a hand on her hip and let the other hang limp as she shifted her weight to one side.

"I'm not going to decline an offer like that," Jethro said, raising his hands. "My Burner and I occasionally meditate when we take the time, so it'll be interesting to do it with someone else for a change." As if on cue, the Blaziken leapt out of its Poké Ball, landing at Jethro's side and drawing itself to its full height, taller than its Trainer by a mere inch, looking to each of the other Trainers around it and nodding respectively. It looked to Hitotagon and bowed slightly before slowly and carefully sitting down, crossing its legs and laying the back of its hands on its knees, straightening its back and evening its breathing.

"And naturally, he beats me to it," Jethro chuckled, gently and quietly slipping his backpack and sword off.

Fri stepped closer to the Pokémon, looking at him closely. His feathers were glossy and vibrant and his eyes were bright as he looked up at her, tilting his head slightly in curiosity.

"Color me impressed. You raised this Blaziken well."

She flipped her coat out behind her and sat slowly down, crossing her legs slightly and straightening her back. Jethro followed suit as he sat next to Burner, taking a deep breath and letting it out, his spine popping slightly and causing a groan to rumble from him.

"Clearly I haven't done this for a while," he whispered out the side of his mouth.

Keith giggled at him and Fri let out a chuckle. The musician had perfect form and posture, as did Luna, who already had her red eyes closed.

All eyes closed after that. Jethro could hear the gentle lapping of the water in the pool hitting the sides of the platform. After about 20 minutes, the sound seemed to intensify and Jethro frowned as it kept getting louder. His eyes flew open as it came to a mighty roar.

"What the…?" he gasped, Burner catching him with its elbow as he leaned to the side, merely opening one eye to check on him.

" _You alright?"_ it asked.

"Anyone else hear the water drops sounding like a freaking waterfall?" he asked lowly.

The response was a resounding no. "Just me then. Lovely..."

The sound stayed constant for a while before it was accompanied by other sounds, and Jethro couldn't stop himself from opening his eyes. He was at the top of a waterfall!

Well, almost. He was at the top of a manufactured waterfall. Looking around him, he could see the ocean, and a small island. Behind him was mainland and... _Shadyhollow?!_ He could see it from the other side. A black spot on the horizon.

"Where am I?"

He watched several people scale the waterfall next to him. It wound its way over several fake rocks, and the only way across appeared to be clambering over them. A slippery and slightly treacherous task.

As he watched, the trainers tried one by one to cross and each failed. The final trainer took a stand next to him. Though the trainer couldn't see or hear him, he suddenly turned to look at Jethro, as if he could feel him. "Slow and careful." he said.

He made his way to the first rock and then...he was gone! Jethro looked closely; the young man had apparently walked slow enough to find a hidden hollow in the rocks. Water dripped around him as he crawled through the tight space, barely fitting through it.

He emerged on the other side, soaking wet, but triumphant. He turned to look back at Jethro. "Slow and careful," he repeated, his voice sounding as if he was still standing next to him.

Jethro let out a gasp as he fell, suddenly finding himself back in the gym. He didn't really know what had happened and wasn't sure if he should mention it.

" _Definitely_ haven't done this in way too long," he murmured, rubbing his eyes with one hand. He took in a deep breath and silently let it out. "Ms. Luna?" he whispered.

"Yes?" He was still astounded by the clarity of her voice in comparison to its low volume.

"I've had a bit of a… vision, and I'm not all too certain how to…translate it, I suppose…" Jethro said hesitantly. "Do I proceed to meditate or stop and reflect?"

Luna paused, her face clearly reflecting deep thought. "I suppose that depends. Did this vision feel as if it would be important to the here and now? Did it feel urgent?"

"I'm not sure as to the here and now," Jethro whispered, "but it felt as though I was receiving guidance…" That man...he had no idea who he was. "All I know is that I was told 'slow and careful'...I'm not sure what it refers to, but...I suppose it is mere guidance for a future event…?"

Luna looked over at him slowly. "If this seems to be in regards to something specific, then you should keep those words in mind when you reach the appropriate obstacle. It may help you face the challenges before you."

She smiled at him, and he blinked at her. She really did look like a perfect porcelain doll sometimes. "I don't think you'll be able to reflect on them at this point in time, so you are welcome to continue meditating if you wish, or we can end the session here. It was short, but you seem to have gained something from it, regardless."

Jethro pondered about it for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I think I will decide to stop," he said. "Please feel free to continue without me," he groaned as he got up. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to admire the aesthetics of this place a little more."

Luna nodded. "Please, feel free." As she finished speaking, Fri let out a tiny squeal followed by a gasp as her eyes flew open. She had apparently been deep in meditation and had missed everything that had just happened.

A panicked look adorned her face and she appeared to be sweating. She looked around hurriedly, realizing that she was back in the gym. She brought a hand to her collarbone and sucked in a deep breath before letting it out again.

Keith, Luna, and Jethro looked at her expectantly. "Everything okay?" Jethro asked, concern apparent on his face.

Fri shook her head. "Yes, I'm...I'm fine. It's nothing. Nothing at all." Her response was a bold faced lie, but Jethro saw through it, crouching down next to her and putting a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently.

"I don't have to be a Psychic-Type to know you're bluffing," he said. "You're not exactly doing too stellar a job of covering it up. Come now… what did _you_ see?"

Fri turned to look at him and her brilliant green eyes locked with his. She searched them for a moment, looking for something and apparently finding it because Jethro's eyes widened as hers seemed to light up. Several images of destruction and fire flashed across his vision, and a strange man with a white beard and mustache laughing maniacally.

Fri's voice intersected it. "I saw something horrible. A man, named Zeus, he's evil. He seems to plague the region constantly, and he's the leader of a team named Chronos. They have some strange obsession with changing time. I've heard he's seeking the region's legendaries. I'm afraid I had a vision of him finding them...and that is a truly terrifying thought."

Jethro's brow furrowed. _Always with these evil teams and their meddling with Legendaries_ , he thought. This may not be his Region, but he certainly wasn't about to idly stand by and let this Team Chrono wreak havoc here. He stood up and held his hand out for her. "The sooner we find them, the sooner we can stop them, then," he said. "Good thing I'm here; this is what I do nowadays. One of the reasons I'm nicknamed the Wandering Hero…"

Fri smiled at him. "I appreciate the offer, but…" She grabbed his hand and he pulled her up. Luna turned to them. "I'll ask all the Gym Leaders to keep an eye out for him. He won't escape us." Fri nodded at her. She turned to Jethro. "I think the Champion can handle it, with your help. Please, relay this message?"

"Count on it," Jethro replied, grinning widely and shaking her hand.

Fri gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

"No problem," he said, leaving them to return to meditation as he wandered around the building, admiring the architectural finesse. He looked down into part of the pool, the bottom of it covered with silver tiles. Several fish Pokémon were lounging as they swam about. Some of them he recognized, but several of them were new to him. One such Pokémon caught his eye, and he squatted down to open his Pokédex, turning the volume down.

 **"#457: Lumineon, the Neon Pokémon. Type: Water. Known as the 'Beautifly of the Sea' in the Sinnoh Region, this Pokémon lives in the ocean's depths. It attracts prey by flashing the patterns on its four tail fins."**

He looked up from the Pokédex as a sudden movement caught his eye. One of the Lumineon had swam up to the surface, its face poking out of the water and looking right at him. He could definitely see how it earned its nickname; the fins were quite similar to a Beautifly!

"Hey there!" he whispered cheerfully, waving slightly. The Lumineon darted back under the water, its fins flapping wildly as it made its way back to the bottom. Jethro grimaced a little, stowing the Pokédex and standing up. "Sorry," he said softly as he walked away, looking at the dark blue banners along the wall.

More movement from the pool caught his eye and he turned back to it. There was another Pokémon he didn't recognize, staring at him. It was a strange one, at best. It had a bill like a Psyduck and four webbed feet. A flat tail like a Bibarell and a body that was green and brown and covered in quills like a Quilfish. It looked fairly cute, though, he had to admit. "What on Earth is that?" he asked quietly.

He flicked the Pokédex in its direction. It chimed quickly.

 **"#136 Platypoke - Inflating Pokémon. Type: Water/Ground**  
 **It sucks in water or air through its mouth and inflates its spine-covered body to protect itself. It can fire the spines like small missiles in any direction."**

"Hmm!" Jethro hummed to himself, looking back up at the Pokémon. "Quite the interesting one, you are." It swam over to him, letting out a trill of sounds similar to a Ducklett's cry. It nosed at his feet and its tail wagged back and forth quickly. It looked up at him expectantly and quacked loudly. "Hey, shh!" he chuckled, bending down and patting its head, scratching it all over the top of its noggin. "You're going to interrupt their meditation!"

The Pokémon thoroughly sniffed at his hands as he bent to pet it, looking rather disappointed. It quacked again, quieter this time and continued to look for treats. Luna's voice came from across the room. "Percy, no. You've had enough treats today, you don't need anymore." The Pokémon gave a sad sort of honk and his tail drooped.

"Ohh, so that's what you were looking for," Jethro said quietly, digging in his backpack's side pocket, the Platypoke wagging its tail as he procured a small can of Pokémon food. "Hope you like it," he said quietly. "I know it's out of a can, but…that's all I have on me right now." He picked a niblet out of the container, holding it out to Percy, as it was called, in his open fingers. "Just between the two of us...maybe," he whispered. The Pokemon snarfed on the snack offered to him and trilled happily.

* * *

After a while, Keith and Fri stood and bade Luna farewell after thanking her and the trio was on their way again. They ambled out of town, careful of its many mysterious threats, and made their way across another field of waving golden grasses. "It's a straight shot to Victory Bridge from here." Fri called to Jethro over her shoulder.

"Sounds good," he replied somewhat distantly. Slow and careful… The words repeated in his mind over and over. Somehow he got the feeling those words were meant for the journey ahead… His head came up and his brow scrunched in confusion. "Wait a second… Victory _Bridge?"_ he asked. "Not Victory _Road?"_

Fri smiled at him. "Nope, Victory Bridge." They crested a hill and she pointed toward the ocean. "You can already see it from here." He followed her hand and looked out over the ocean. A tiny island was just visible in the distance, and a long and thin looking colorful line ran from the mainland to it.

He gulped. "That's it?"

Fri nodded. "Yup, that's Victory Bridge. It's over five miles long and set solidly into the ocean floor. They covered the pylons with coral, so it's both incredibly stable and a habitat for lots of marine Pokemon."

"Okay, good, at least it won't fall over anytime soon," Jethro muttered. Fri chuckled at his comment. He turned to Fri and Keith, straightening up. "This is where we part for now, huh?" he asked.

Fri smiled at him. "Well, we can walk you to the gates at least. After that, we aren't allowed through because we aren't challengers or on official business."

"Alright, then," Jethro said with a smile. "I should thank you for taking me this far," he said as they turned and walked to the gate. "Wouldn't have made it this far without your help!" Fri smiled at him as the guards addressed him.

"Please present your badges."

Jethro raised a hand. "Actually, I don't have any. I was called here on official business by the Champion. My name is Jethro Striker."

The guards look to one another, whispering before looking back to Jethro. Behind his back, Fri had winked at them and put a finger to her lips. "Alright, we've been expecting you. However, you still have to follow the rules of the bridge. No cheating, on any challenges no matter HOW impossible they may seem. If you cheat, you will be removed from the bridge and will be given a chance to cross it again tomorrow. Do you understand these rules?"

Jethro raised and eyebrow, but nodded. He turned to look back at Fri and Keith as he passed through the gates but they were already gone. "Huh," he said, blinking. "Welp, time to see what this bridge is made of!" As he passed through the gate he came to three massive doors. Red, blue, and yellow. He, of course, choose the blue one. It was his favorite color after all, and the one he was wearing.


	10. Chapter 10: Victory Bridge (Part 1)

He jumped as music suddenly began to loudly pour from speakers along the bridge as he passed through the door. It would seem it was part of the challenge. The first one he encountered was...interesting to say the least. Several tall square pillars stood before him, the first one having a ladder going up it. The rules of the challenge were posted on a small sign at the entrance. You had to cross from one side of the foam coated pit to the other by jumping from pillar to pillar. If you fell off you had to go back to the start. The use of Flying Pokemon was prohibited, as made obvious by the metal mesh cage surrounding the area.

He took a deep breath before climbing to the top of the first, and lowest pillar. He jumped to the next one immediately. There were several trainers around him, clambering on the various pillars. He paused, looking around him. There were several routes he could take. He ruled one out immediately as a Trainer had been forced onto a lower pillar and was now throwing a hissyfit at having to jump down and go back because he had nowhere else to go. As he was pondering his choices, the impatient Trainer had already climbed up behind him and was yelling at him to just pick one.

"Alright, alright, take it easy," he called back. "Different paces for different people…" He leapt forward to the next pillar, and continued on until he had no other pillars he could reach. He looked around, irritated. The Trainer had forced him into a corner by rushing him. He was pretty high up, and the idea of jumping down made him slightly queasy. The other Trainers were having a tough time of reaching the other side of the course, The pillars were fairly tall and spaced out toward the end, making it very hard to reach them.

He turned around, sitting for a moment to think about what to do next. At least in his present location no one would bug him. He looked up, back toward the way he had come and carefully examined the pillars. That was when he noticed a secondary ladder halfway up a VERY tall pillar. One he had ignored because of its height. It went straight up to the metal cage surrounding the area. As he was questioning this pillar, an alarm sounded, causing him to jump and nearly lose his seating.

It would seem the impatient Trainer had cheated. A pair of guards cornered him on the other side and escorted him across the area and out the door. He yelled and caterwauled the whole way and the guards said nothing except that he had been made aware of the rules and could try again tomorrow.

Jethro decided to risk it. It wasn't like he couldn't wait another day to see the Champion. He stood, realizing he was on the perfect pillar to reach the one with the ladder halfway up. He gulped. "Well, here goes nothing!" he muttered. "Geronimooooo...!" He dove, catching the bottom rung of the ladder and hauled himself up a few rungs. The guards hadn't yelled at him yet, and he knew by their gaze that they had seen him. He shrugged and pulled himself up the ladder. It went all the way up the pillar, above the mesh cage before stopping.

He jumped off and onto the metal. It was more than sturdy enough to hold his weight, not even flexing an inch. He walked casually across it and heard a few Trainers exclaim at him. They said things like "No fair!" and "How did he get all the way up there?" He turned and pointed to the pillar he had just climbed. "Ladder!" he called down, and continued walking.

He stopped when he reached the other side and climbed down it carefully. He passed through another blue door and was met with a rest area. Several padded benches were scattered about and there were even water bowls for Pokemon. All three doors appeared to converge here. A Trainer approached him.

"Hey, what was through the blue door?" Jethro explained the pillars to him and he looked surprised. "Wow. I chose the red door and it was like a game of 'The Floor is Lava' except with colored tiles marking the safe zones. There were lots of ropes and things to climb on, and the safe areas kept changing every few minutes. Maybe the blue door would have been easier. I might try it next time, thanks!"

Jethro went and sat on an unoccupied bench with a sigh. His pulse was still a little quick from the rush of jumping to the ladder and being up on top of the cage. "Man, I get the feeling this is going to be anything but easy." He shook his head and looked out across the ocean. He couldn't see anything past the trio of colored doors before him, but he could see the water on either side of the bridge.

"I wonder," he muttered to himself as he squinted at the sparkling surface, "if Kyogre could jump that…" He looked down, trying to judge the depth of the water beneath. Given the fact that if the Sea Basin Pokemon could get enough speed before arching down and then sharply back up…

It might work…

He shook his head and stood, stretching his muscles before continuing on. He checked to make certain that his equipment hadn't come loose in any way. Finding his things secure, he walked to the next entrance, stopping mid-walk as a thought hit him. _If this stuff was any heavier,_ he realized, _I very well would not have made that jump…_

He shrugged with a small 'hmm!' and continued forward, debating between choosing the blue again or going with a different color. "Might as well say I had some variety in my choices," he said to himself, walking to the red door.

As he walked through it, he heard something that sounded like clattering minecarts. _Oh no..._ He came face to face with a massive maze of coaster tracks, each with tiny one-person coasters on them. There were six in total. Some had Trainers already in them. One of them flung a girl into a batch of foam padding as she hit a barrier. Clearly, that was the wrong coaster.

He looked up, wide-eyed, at the mass of loops and spins that extended high into the air.

* * *

"Don't get me wrong, they took every safety precaution." He said matter-of-factly.

"I **hope** so!" Ellie replied.

* * *

"Nope!" he said shortly, turning on his heel and making for the door. Unfortunately for him, it had already closed and locked itself from the other side. "Why me?" he asked as he hung his head, hitting it against the door over and over. He sighed and turned around. _Roller coasters… This shouldn't be hard_ , he told himself. He just needed to pick the right one. Which shouldn't be too hard, he had exceptionally sharp eyes and was very skilled at following patterns and tracing lines like this. Happened all the time with those little mazes in magazines.

Except these ones were in three dimensions… and very, very, fast...He watched them carefully when a sound caught his attention. He turned to look as a Trainer zoomed by on a coaster...and it suddenly changed tracks! The tracks were fitted with automatic switches that periodically swapped the cars with other sets of tracks besides the ones they started on.

"OK...that's just bogus…" he muttered irritably, his brow furrowing. "Now where do I go to get on-?" Before he could finish, a car came rolling up to him, stopping within mere feet of him and causing him to yelp and jump back, hand on his sword. As soon as he had moved, he loosened his posture, his head rolling down and a long sigh rolling out of his mouth. He ran his hands down his face. "Oy…" he muttered to himself, climbing into the car.

It started slowly forward and brought him to a junction where all six tracks started. It stopped next to a box with six numbered buttons on it. They apparently indicated which track the car would take. He buzzed his lips, finger waving over the buttons one by one. "Eenie, meenie, minie, moe…" he muttered. He covered his eyes with his hands and took a long, deep breath, his finger extended in place. _Don't force it,_ he told himself. _Just let… the choice… come… toooooo..."_ Before he could finish his thought, his finger landed on a button, and the car lurched forward, pressing him against the seat.

The car rattled and shook as it flung him around the tracks. At one point, he swung wide on a corner that happened to go through another room. His screaming was so sudden and loud it scared the life out of another Trainer, causing him to lose his balance and fall from the series of ropes he was climbing up and back down to the protective padding below. The car lurched suddenly to the sky, nearly causing Jethro to vomit on the clear paneled ceiling before plummeting back down. Just when it looked like he had chosen the right path, an electronic click signaled the switching of the tracks, and he was hurled directly at a wall. He screeched in terror, when the car suddenly changed direction, then hit a small barrier.

The jolt launched him forward out of the car and he landed face first in a pile of very soft, squishy padding. It was a wonder his legs didn't bend like a Drapion's tail. He sat up, rubbing his neck and plopped back down to catch his breath, and settle his stomach for that matter. The full ride had actually lasted around five minutes, but it felt like longer than that to him. He groaned at the idea of having to take the ride again to reach the next obstacle. But then shuddered at the idea that what came next could be worse. "No wonder Trainers have a hard time reaching the League..." he mumbled.

He looked to the side, noticing a doorway in the wall next to him. His eyebrows rose as he realized there was another near the entrance. He slowly got up, shaking his head and jogging lightly into the door into a hallway. There were several more Trainers inside ahead of him, one of them lending a hand to another as they made their way down the hall. He jogged forward and put the Trainer's free arm over his shoulders, taking his weight. "Looks like I'm not the only one who isn't thrilled by this part of the Bridge," he said with a half-attempted grin.

"Yeah, he's never been much of a fan for roller coasters," the Trainer on the other side of the nauseous victim said. "This is actually our third time."

"Today?" Jethro asked, bewildered. "Wow," he murmured when the other one nodded. "I just got to this part of it." They came out of the door and he frowned. "You'd think they'd consider putting a few cots or benches in here to give the nauseous people a break instead of a floor," he muttered irritably. He helped set the green-faced Trainer on the ground and wished them luck, turning back to the mass of roller coasters and shifting his weight to one leg. He rested his right elbow on the back of his left hand, his finger curving over his mouth as he glared at the coasters, his eyes darting from one cart to the other.

His eyebrows raised and his hand lowered as he noticed one of the tracks switching. After keeping his eye on it for long enough, he noticed a pattern; two quick switches, three slow, three quick, then two slow. He followed the track, memorizing the pattern of switching at each terminal. Steeling himself for the next ride, he hopped into another cart, keeping his eyes locked on the tracks ahead of him. Before the three quick switches came, he pressed the button for that track and lurched ahead.

The car rocketed around the little tracks as it had before. He was flung from side to side, up and down. He was so close, he could see the end of the tracks ahead. And then...click!...he was thrown sideways, eventually hit the barrier, and was flung into the padding again. He let out an annoyed hiss. It took 3 more tries, but he finally made it through the door on the other side of the room.

He fell to his knees almost immediately and let out a breath. He was nauseous as all Hellgar, and it felt like his stomach was trying to do backflips.

"I would have paid to see that!" Ellie said, covering her hand as she laughed.

Jethro smacked her in the arm playfully. "Hey! You try riding that barely-legal health hazard!"

"I have to admit, Frita is certainly...interesting. Especially back when all she was to you was 'Fri'," Valin chimed in.

"Yeah, yeah, real interesting- back to the story!" Ellie chirped excitedly.

"You alright?" someone asked him. His immediate response was merely a quickly-raised hand with his index finger pointed at the sky as he panted heavily.

"Yeah, just… just gimme a minute…" Jethro breathed. He let out a sharp breath and stood up, let out another short exhale…and promptly fell backwards.

"A minute?" the Trainer asked him. "That's it?"

"Yeah, okay, maybe 5…" His stomach made a groaning sound like some sort of deep sea creature, and he winced. "At the very least…"

* * *

After finally getting his system back to subnormal and his equilibrium under control, Jethro stood back up, tightened the straps on his backpack, and let out a deep breath. This time, he chose the yellow door, covering his eyes with his hand as he tentatively walked through it.


	11. Chapter 11: Victory Bridge (Part 2)

The other side was an absolute explosion of color, comparable only to Burgh's paint-covered Gym in Unova. Everywhere he looked, there was a different color. The floor was covered in lighted panels, and music poured from speakers around the room. There were parts of the floor that were raised, acting like artificial platforms, in time to the music.

There was a small sign with the rules listed in front of him. Each Trainer was required to use one Pokémon to cross the room. Jethro looked around, trying to spot the door. After a few minutes, he finally noticed it...almost to the roof of the room.

"Alright, so...jump from platform to platform to reach the door. Seems easy enough," he muttered to himself. Now all he had to do was pick a Pokémon.

Burner had strong enough legs to leap across the platforms, but carrying someone with a matching height and with more weight would be awkward and difficult to accomplish.

Meganium was heavier and had four legs, but was shorter and not used to carrying him. Besides, he had exchanged it for the Protagoyle currently in his party. His Gardevoir may have been able to carry him, as he saw one currently doing, but it had been exchanged for Hitotagon.

Metagross and Golurk were much more suitable for carrying him across. There was one other option he had, but he felt it would be cheating.

And seeing as how it had the intellect greater than a supercomputer…

"Metagross, come on out, big guy!" he called as he tossed the Ultra Ball into the air. The silver-and-gold four-legged tank landed on the floor with a _thud!_ as it was sent out. Jethro caught the Ball, climbed onto the Iron Leg Pokémon's head, and patted it twice. "At least it's better than the roller coaster," he said encouragingly.

" _At least, you hope so, correct?"_ the deep, metal voice of his Pokémon asked as it stepped slowly forward.

"Yeah, pretty much…"

Metagross was wide enough that each of its legs touched one platform at a time. The one under its back right leg suddenly shot upward, wrenching the giant limb upwards sharply. Metagross winced, and Jethro threw his hand back to catch himself on the edge of its body.

" _Perhaps slow and steady is not the_ _ **best**_ _approach for this particular puzzle,"_ it said, flexing its back leg slowly. Before Jethro could respond, they were thrown high into the air by the remaining three platforms before dropping like a stone in a pond.

Metagross managed to land feet first as it hit the platforms, transferring its momentum through its legs, but Jethro was not as fortunate with his reaction and smacked into the Pokémon with a hefty thud on his unarmored arm.

"Owww…" he wheezed.

Metagross backed off the platforms, back to the solid floor closest to the door. " _The platforms move in time to the music,"_ it observed, " _so before proceeding, I advise we take a moment to listen to it and find the beat. It's possible that it endlessly repeats, so if we listen long enough we could memorize the notes and decipher the correct pattern._

"Yeah, sounds like a good plan," Jethro groaned, rubbing his cheek. That hit had hurt a good bit, and would probably leave a bit of a bruise. He relaxed, closing his eyes and listening to the music, tapping his fingers on Metagross's head in time with the rhythm. After spending about twenty minutes, they determined that there was no real pattern, which seemed odd; it was catchy enough, but… held no discernable rhythm to it..

"Great...guess we're gonna have to wing it," Jethro muttered. Metagross grunted in response and readied itself, its body lowering as it prepared to jump.

" _Hang on tight!"_

Jethro tightened his grip on his friend as an uptempo song blasted from the speakers, filling the entire area. Metagross darted forward and began to flit around the room at a surprisingly smooth and lively pace, matching the song's tempo as it hovered inches off the platforms. It slid left, spun left while moving right, reversed, darted forward, feinted left, leapt over a platform with legs spread wide, floated one way and then the other... A few parts of the song threw it for a loop, and there were some spots where it nearly threw Jethro off, but eventually Metagross danced its way to the door and rushed through.

"I had no idea you could dance that good!" Jethro laughed as he patted the tank on the head and jumped down.

" _Just make sure we never do that again,"_ it muttered. " _Unless it's with a song that_ _ **actually**_ _has a set rhythm and tempo_

Jethro guffawed, nodding. "I hear you on that one," he said, earning him a few confused looks from the other Trainers. "What? You don't hear _your_ Pokémon speaking normally? Strange," he said to them, laughing internally as several of them looked at each other as if they were missing out on something.

He went over to the benches and sat down, letting out an exhausted groan. He pulled his backpack off and dug through it to procure two bottles of water, setting them beside him and partially unsheathing his sword. Ignoring the numerous gazes focused on him, he effortlessly sliced one of the bottles open by pulling it towards him against the sharp side of the blade. Metagross kept the clear liquid from falling to the floor with Psychic, and angled its body up so Jethro could reach its open mouth. He poured the water in from both pieces, tapping the remaining droplets out of the container before the Steel-Type closed its mouth and swallowed. It let out a metallic sigh, its legs slowly splaying out until its body rested on the ground.

Jethro chuckled as he drained his own bottled water, tossing the empty plastic containers in a nearby bin and digging through his backpack again, procuring a soft square of fabric and some polish. He opened the polish and dabbed the gel in his palm, lathering his hands before rubbing them over the entire surface of the large Pokémon's front leg. He then took the rag and rubbed the polish into its metal skin, making it sparkle almost like diamonds. He repeated the process with the other three legs before making his way to its body, making sure not to get it in its eyes. He was extra careful to get its leg joints before putting the gel and rag away.

"Going to have to order more of that," he said to himself as he wiped his hands on a separate towel. "Good job in there, Metagross," he said proudly as he detached its Ultra Ball. "Thanks for getting us through there."

" _My pleasure,"_ it said before returning to its Ball. Jethro put it back on his backpack strap and slung it over his shoulder, sighing and leaning against the wall, closing his eyes. After sitting there for a few minutes, regaining his energy, his leaned forward and stood up, making his way towards the three doors.

"Alright, back to the beginning of the pattern," he said, striding towards the blue door. "Please be nice, please be nice, please be nice," he muttered under his breath as he shook his head.

He immediately covered his face as misty steam assaulted him, letting out a gasp as the harsh humidity of the room overtook him momentarily. It was like Metagross was sitting on his chest with a Burn.

He let out a breath and looked around the room.

It was warm, and covered in steaming stones and hot water, almost like a spa. The stones were different widths, some were huge while others were practically pebbles. The water cascaded down several terraces of stones that rose up in a ridge. He couldn't see the door from his location. As usual, the rules were posted on a small sign.

"Take a moment to steady yourself...relax...life is about more than just rushing into the next hardship," he read aloud.

There was a tiny secondary script underneath it. "P.S. No shoes!"

Jethro raised an eyebrow at the sign, questioning the legitimacy of it. Regardless, he took off his heavy shoes and socks, and rolled up his pants legs to help regulate his body heat. He took a breath full of heat and moisture and slowly started walking forward, keeping his senses sharp and looking around the place skeptically

"This is either very considerate," he said lowly to himself, "or deviously cunning. Either way, it's… nice. I guess…" He took a deep breath, relaxing himself. "Slow and careful," he said, reminding himself what his vision had said. He continued on, walking slowly forward and listening to the sounds around him.

The only sounds audible to him was the gentle bubble of the water around him. The stones were warm on his feet and when he slipped once his feet only plunged into ankle deep water, which actually wasn't that bad.

He reached the ridge of terraces and began to walk along it, finding a small gap between it and the wall. Upon squeezing through it, he discovered that the terraces ended in a sheer drop into a deep warm water pool.

"Huh. Graceful landing in pool, or remaining on the path- oh look, I'm past the pool!" he said to himself, returning instantly to a deadpan expression.

There were plenty of places for him to stop and sit at the edge of the pool for a bit, especially at the far end of the room, which was covered in tiles. A few weary Trainers were already taking advantage of that fact. A small bench held a stack of clean white towels. There was a bin next to it for the used ones.

"Eh...why not?" he muttered, shrugging and moving to an empty space.

The water was warm and everything was relaxing, especially now that he had gotten used to the heavy air. One of the other Trainers had let a few Pokémon out, and proceeded to strike up a quiet conversation with him about the previous challenges they had both faced. During the conversation, Jethro released his own Pokémon, including his two newest family members. When asked about the Master Ball at the top of his backpack strap, he merely shrugged and said he did not know its occupant's current location.

Apparently the guy next to him had gotten nothing but the hardest and most physically demanding challenges. The other Trainer, a girl, had gotten nothing but creative brain teasers. The bridge was a challenge all it's own, nothing like they had faced before, but according to these Trainers so were the Gyms. It would seem Mara was all around an oddball region.

"Guess I have my work cut out for me when I return here," he said. Upon receiving confused looks from the other two Trainers, he raised a hand. "I've beaten three Leagues already. I'm here to see the Champion on official business by the League chairman himself." The Trainers were speechless, amazed at his accomplishment of beating three Leagues. As the girl was starting to get flirty, Metagross walked over, its four legs thudding softly on the floor as it stopped behind him and stared at her with its permanent glare.

After a while, Jethro got up and left the room, drying his feet and legs off with one of the towels and dropping it in the bin. The air outside was cool on his skin, and getting across the bridge had taken up most of the afternoon. The sun was beginning to set, casting a calming orange glow against the clouds.

The section of bridge before him had the same 3 doors, except one was green now. There were two poles, one on each side of the bridge, holding up an enormous sign covered in colorful stars.

 **This is your final and most difficult test. Those who pass these doors will be granted passage to the Pokémon League. Choose wisely…**

Jethro stood before the doors, his Pokémon beside him as he debated which one to pick. He stroked his goatee in thought, finally deciding on his choice color, that which he had connected easiest to since childhood; blue. His favorite color seemed to be steering him in the right direction...for now at least. His Pokémon returned to their capsules as he laid a hand on the door, taking a deep breath before pushing it open.


	12. Chapter 12: Mara's Elite Four

The minute he stepped through the door he was assaulted with a vicious spray of icy water. He could barely see what was in front of him, but stumbled forward until he hit rock. His premonition from Shadyhollow flashed suddenly in his mind and he carefully clambered up the rocks until he was at the top, where he had been with the Trainer in his vision.

"Can you say...deja vu?" he asked no one in particular. He looked at the waterfall, leaning his head back to try and see the very top. The mist overtook his vision, and he bent down, blinking and wiping the spray out of his eyes. "Alright, so...this oughta be fun," he said. He covered his eyes with his hand and peered into the cascading water, trying to find the hole to walk through that he had seen. 'Slow and careful' kept echoing in his head.

"Slow and careful," he repeated to himself. "Slow and careful… slow… and careful…" He lowered his hand and took a deep breath, closing his eyes and calming himself. "Slow… and… careful…" Inhaling deeply, he opened his eyes, releasing his breath as he spotted the opening, directly in front of him. He prepared himself to leap forward, but stopped and caught himself before he began to spring forward. He detached the Balls on his strap and secured them inside a small pocket, holding his backpack in one hand.

Using his backpack as a weight, he swung it once, twice- grabbed his sword in his other hand- three times, and finally shot forward, using the added momentum to carry himself through the water, landing on the other side, soaked to the skin and dripping wet, but securely on solid rock. Whooping slightly in celebration, he crouched down to crawl through a small, damp tunnel. He got a bit stuck a few times, his muscular frame proving to be slightly more difficult than he had hoped, but with a few twists and moves that would have landed certain people a medal in dance competition, he managed to free himself and make it to the end of the tunnel.

He emerged soaking wet, his boots making awkward squelching sounds as he dragged the weight of his waterlogged frame through the exit door, bending over to catch his breath with his hands on his knees.

He looked to his right as he heard the sound of a door opening. From the green door emerged the female trainer he had talked to in the hot spring room. She was covered in some kind of sticky orange pollen, and a multitude of burs and thorns were caught in her clothing and hair. They took one look at each other and shrugged. Before either one could speak, the red door opened and the male trainer who had started their earlier conversation emerged. He was breathing heavily, and practically sweating bullets. His clothes were singed in places and he was covered in black soot and ash.

"I'm not sure exactly what you went through, but if it helps," Jethro said as he pulled his still-soaked shirt off and walked over, ignoring the blushing face of the female Trainer as he raised his shirt and twisted it, wringing out the water over the male Trainer and dousing out the small flame on top of his head. After making sure most of the water had been wrung out, he snapped his shirt and put it back on. "No, I'm not doing the same thing for you," he said, grinning slightly at the girl as he walked over and picked up his backpack, taking his Pokémon out of the pocket and putting them back on the strap. He caught the bottom Ultra Ball as it fell off, looking at it and trying a few more times. Upon inspecting it, he picked out a small pebble and placed the Ball in its rightful place.

He turned toward the decorative archway in front of them. It had Pokétotem poles holding it up. Each side had a dragon Pokémon he had never seen before. One was white and salmon pink, with green eyes. Its sleek white body ended in a head somewhat like a Dragonite but longer and narrower. It had a pink crest on its head with a large pale pink gem in the middle. Its wide arms had three claws on the ends, the one on the outside larger and the other two inner ones smaller. It had pink fins running from its shoulders to its elbows. Its elegant and thin legs ended in larger white paws with two pink claws almost like hooves. Its counterpart was black and dark gray, and very jagged. It had small white ring eyes with black sclera. Its head was smooth on top, with horns and a jagged crystal jaw bearing a severe underbite. Its body was covered in jagged black crystal, which ran the length of its back before forming the entirety of its tail. Its paws had 3 claws each, and the front legs had large, jagged crystal spires jetting from the elbows. A diamond shaped red gem was set into its chest. Adorning the top of the arch, which had a large flat space with the words "Mara Pokémon League" carved into it, was a dragon of varied shades of red. It looked like a perfect middle between the two at the bottom, with equal parts jagged and smooth. It had a large red gem set in its forehead, which its horns wrapped around. Another was set in its chest. Jagged spikes went down its back and tail in intervals, and fiery spires jutted from its elbows and forearms.

"Right!" Jethro said, clapping his hands together and taking a deep breath through his teeth. It was time to see what this League actually looked like, not that he couldn't see a small part of it through the arch, the rest being shielded by a stone wall. "Who wants to bite the bullet first?" He turned to the young lady and bowed, gesturing his arm to the door. "Ladies first?"

* * *

This Pokémon League wasn't set up like any of the others he had ever seen. Normally, they were set up in a circle or maybe a straight line, sometimes one big room with adjoining ones…but this…this was weird. On the front of the building were two massive bubble shapes, each one had a circular panel with multiple iridescent colors above it instead of a symbol. It appeared to be the only way in, so the most logical guess was that each room held one member of the Mara Region Elite Four, presumably with either the other 2 being behind these rooms or on the other side of the building.

With the colored circles, it was a blind guess what was behind each door. There was no telling what Types the Elites on the other sides of the doors were using. "Not sure if that's a clever test or just a mean move…" Jethro muttered.

He shrugged. "Gotta pick one eventually…eenie, meenie, miney, mo…" He stopped at the door to the left, walking slowly toward it. The doors slid open when he approached. The room beyond was dim, making it hard to see what was inside. He passed slowly through the doors, which slammed behind him immediately, making him jump.

The room lit up brightly, and he had to cover his eyes momentarily. It was covered in gleaming and patternless steel plate tiles with tall steel columns rising up every ten or so feet. There was a figure standing rigidly in the middle of the room.

When he got closer, he could see it was a woman. She had long silvery hair that went down her back, all the way to the floor. It was tied in a small ponytail at the very bottom. Her bangs rimmed her face like a helmet, and her eyes were a bright violet color. She was wearing a skin tight dress of dark gray, semi shiny material. It went almost to her knees, coming back up slightly on the sides to make a ruched sort of design.

Over the top of the dress was a metal breastplate with a large red gem set in it. The metal gauntlets of a suit of armor ran up her arms to the elbow, and she sported a pair of wedge heeled armored boots that went just past her knees. They had red gems set into the sides too.

"Uh…hi there. I'm-"

She cut him off, holding up her hand for silence. "I am Allori of Mara's Elite Four. You will battle and defeat me if you wish to pass, challenger. No exceptions." Her voice was cold and empty, as was her gaze. It sent a shiver down his spine. She was almost like a robot.

"My name is Jethro Striker," he said slowly and politely. "It's nice to meet you. The Grand Champion sent for me…I'm supposed to meet them here…so if you could just point me in the right direction-"

"No. Exceptions."

He let out an exasperated sigh, dropping his face in his hand. It looked like he had no choice but to fight her. He nodded and she released a Pokémon he had never seen before. He quickly scanned it with his Pokédex.

#106 Armoureon  
The Shining Knight Pokémon  
Type: Steel  
It is the Steel Type evolution of Eevee. They have an extreme sense of justice and can't stand suffering or evil. They are extremely loyal and will follow their trainer's commands without fail.

"Steel-Type, huh… well, that's intriguing," he said to himself, picking the Poké Ball on the top of his strap and tossing it up, releasing his Blaziken. "If it's all the same to you, m'lady," he said, bowing respectfully, "I'll allow you to make the first move."

The Armoureon burst forward, charging the still Blaziken. Burner merely smirked as the Pokémon drew closer, preparing to unleash its attack. 

* * *

Upon defeating Allori, the door behind her opened. Jethro walked through it to find himself on a large, high cross-shaped walkway. The ground below him was decorated with a beautiful and ornate courtyard garden. The building appeared to go in a ring with the largest room at the back. Jethro assumed that was where the Champion was, given the door in the courtyard. He couldn't see any way down from where he was, and when he considered jumping down with a Pokémon a strange barrier stopped him. The walkway was just big enough for two Trainers to walk past each other.

Apparently, he had to face the League Challenge whether he actually wanted to or not. He sighed in irritation, bending backwards and then turning to face the door he just came through. "Allori, you inconvenient little stickler," he muttered under his breath. He chose a random door next, easily able to tell which he had come from by the small light that had lit next to it. The next room he entered was filled with dirt…honestly, it looked a lot like a farm, and berry trees lined the walls. Golden sunlight streamed in through windows in the ceiling.

There was a man in boots, overalls and an orange plaid shirt leaning on a shovel in the center of the room. He had short brown hair, brown eyes, and a chunky build. Work gloves covered his hands.

"Howdy."

Jethro nodded to the man, who had dipped his head upon speaking. "Hey there. My name is Jethro Striker; the Grand Champion summoned me here…any way I can get to them without doing the entire League challenge?"

The man shifted his weight. "Depends…you battle anyone yet?"

Jethro nodded. "Yes, that…rather interesting woman…Allori, I believe. She was very…adamant about it. 'No exceptions' were her exact words."

The man sucked a breath in through his teeth. "'Fraid you have to finish if you wanna reach the Champion then. Sorry buddy, you've already been logged by the system."

Jethro tilted his head and the man chuckled. "There's a check system that scans the Pokédex of anyone who enters the building. Once you begin a battle and you've got the correct qualifications, you're logged as a challenger."

Jethro hung his head. "Fabulous."

The man laughed heartily and walked over to him, clapping him on the back heavily. "Unfortunately for you, ya picked Allori first. She doesn't let anyone get away without a battle. Bit of a problem, that. Anyway, the name's Terrance! Good to meet ya!" He extended his hand to Jethro, and the two shook hands. "Best of luck to ya! I won't hold back!" 

"Same to you, good sir," Jethro said with a grin. The approachable and warm nature of this Elite Four member was refreshing, and it raised his spirits. 

* * *

Terrance's Ground Type Pokémon were no joke! They were powerful and sturdy, and certainly worthy of a member of the Elite Four, but Jethro managed to defeat him after a very effort-given battle. "Two down, two to go," he said, shaking Terrance's hand as he left. "Thank you for the battle," he said, smiling. "I appreciate your understanding, as well as your warm approach. That Allori…" He sucked air through his teeth. "Whoo, boy…" The two men chuckled, and Jethro departed, heading for the next room.

The next room he entered was filled with exercise equipment. It reminded him a lot of Brawly's Gym back in Hoenn. As a matter of fact, so did the Trainer in front of him. He had scruffy indigo hair, and was rippling with muscle underneath his t-shirt and cargo shorts. He wasn't wearing shoes. He had no need to, the floor was covered in padded tumbling mats. He turned around, his piercing blue-green eyes fixed on the challenger and his arms crossed. Jethro could swear he recognized the man from somewhere…

"Hello!" His voice boomed joyfully from his tall frame. "My name is Brawnson, of the Mara Elite Four. Welcome!"

The name hit Jethro like a truck. He knew he recognized the man from somewhere. He was from Hoenn! "You're Brawly's mentor! You used to be the Dewford Gym Leader!" he blurted immediately.

One of Brawnson's eyebrows raised. "That I was. And you are?"

Jethro strode forward and shook the man's hand. "Jethro Striker," he said, looking at the man in admiration. "Made it through our home League as well as Kanto and Johto." He released the man's hand and put his knuckles on his hips, shaking his head with a wide smile. "I tell you, you sure taught Brawly well; he was quite the challenge when I first came to that Gym! He's very accomplished as a Gym Leader!"

"Glad to hear it, and nice to meet you! Ready for a battle?"

"With you, sir," Jethro said, a sly grin spreading across his face, "it would be an honor."

* * *

Jethro took a minute to compose himself as he stood before the final door. These Mara Elites were tough…but thankfully, there was only one room left.

"Let's do this."

Jethro marched confidently in, looking around the room in surprise. It was very…purple. Vats of bubbling lime green goo surrounded the room.

"Hi, handsome." A sultry voice responded. Jethro jumped, peering around the room. He finally noticed a woman in a long purple gown sitting in a velvet coated chair at the back of the room. She had blended in well with the decor. She waved at him, lifting herself gracefully from her chair. Her hips sashayed back and forth with every step, until she was standing before him.

She had bright violet hair with hot pink streaks, piled in a styled bun at the top of her head. Her long bangs framed her eerie green eyes, surrounded by heavy black makeup. She smiled, her lips coated in dark purple lipstick. "My name is Elvira." Gold bangles clanked at her wrists, and a large gold necklace hung slightly loose around her neck. 

"Hello madam," Jethro said politely, nodding. "Forgive me if you already know, but my name is Jethro Striker."

Elvira smiled at him, her eyes narrowing. "I have heard of you, actually. I hear you're a real hometown hero and all that." she shifted her weight, her hips moving smoothly, and batted her eyelashes at him.

Jethro raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, shifting his weight to one leg. "Well," he said, nodding to one side, "it would seem you have heard of me. And who told you about me, may I ask? Not that they're wrong, I'm merely curious."

She laughed lightly. "I have my sources."

"Not ominous in any manner at all," Jethro muttered, smirking.

Elvira laughed, a smooth and velvety sound, pulling one hand up to her face. "Isn't it?' She pulled a strange purple Pokéball off the belt at the waist of her dress. "Shall we?"

Unlatching an Ultra Ball from his backpack strap, Jethro bowed shortly. "After you, m'lady."

For such a beautiful woman, Elvira had very ugly Pokémon. She released a putrid pile of purple goo that was reminiscent of a Muk...except a little different. It was a pile of purple goo, yes, but this particular goo seemed to have a skeleton and some sturdiness to it. Bones poked out all along its back in spires and its bare jaw bone and teeth were exposed. Jethro could even see parts of its ribs, and it had three large claws poking out of each poison soaked foot. As soon as it was released from its ball, a massive puddle of purple liquid formed on the floor around it.

"Well," he said, blinking in surprise. "It… definitely fits the Poison-Type criteria." He pulled out his Pokédex, shook off the excess moisture that still clung to it, and activated it, pointing it at the goop creature.

#95 Toxidous

The Biohazard Pokémon

Type: Poison

They have become so toxic that some of their bones have begun to show. Few Pokemon can get anywhere close to them in battle because of this. People often believe that if the muck covering a Toxidous were washed away, only bones would remain.

Jethro stowed the Dex and returned the Ultra Ball to its holster. The one he had selected would probably not be suited well if this Pokémon's poison was that acidic. He picked another Ultra Ball and tossed it up. It opened up and revealed one of Jethro's newest partners; Hitotagon. The Pokémon shook its head, the vibration running all the way to its tail.

"Can I count on you, my friend?" he asked.

"Of course, Jethro," Hitotagon said, nodding and looking at the Toxidous with determination.

* * *

Hitotagon managed to take out half of Elvira's party, and Metagross cleaned the floor with most of the rest. Jethro returned his friend and bowed elegantly. "It was an honor, Elvira," he said, standing up again. "But I feel I'm overdue with a meeting with the Grand Champion."

Elvira smiled knowingly, waving to the Champion and wishing him well as he left. As soon as he set foot outside the room, the raised hallway split into four parts and the end of each one dropped to the ground, creating a ramp, which Jethro went sliding rapidly down with a gasp. When he hit the bottom, the walkway raised and locked back into its X shape.

"Alright," he said, popping his back and taking a few moments to heal his partners, "time to meet the Grand Champion." He walked forward, brushing a little dust off the badge on his chest. Might as well be presentable, he thought to himself. He walked through the door, looking around the room.


	13. Chapter 13: The Grand Champion

It was certainly very dimly lit. He couldn't really make out any of the details around him, and for a moment was worried that the Champion wasn't even there and that he had spent all that time for nothing. The thought of a wasted trip bothered him a little. He turned his head as he heard something shuffle in the dim room. He peered around, trying to locate what had made the sound…

And there, at the top of a set of red velvet carpeted stairs, was the Grand Champion. She was perched casually in a gilded throne, with red velvet upholstery. She was leaning to the left (Jethro's right), with her elbow propped on one of the throne's arms. Her head rested on the back of her hand, her knuckles against her cheek and her fingers straightened to half follow the curve of her face. She had one leg resting normally, with her foot on the floor. The other was bent at the knee, with the gap between the heel of her boot and the sole wedged against the other gilded arm of the throne. Three Firestones were set in the top of it, one dead center and the others to the left and right of it at slight angles.

The room was very dim, and Jethro squinted to make out the figure before him. Everything behind her was veiled in shadows. He could quite clearly make out her brilliant green eyes, which seemed to glow in the dim light. "So, you finally made it. I was beginning to think my little Victory Bridge was too much for you."

Jethro frowned. "I know that voice," he said to himself. It was a little deeper than he remembered, but still the same voice.

The figure rose rather gracefully, and yet limply like a doll, until she was standing. Light glinted off something at her waist and Jethro's eyes widened as his attention turned to it. It was a golden belt buckle…shaped like a sun. "You're-!"

The woman before him held up a hand to stop him. "Ding ding! We have a winner." As she finished speaking, a brilliant and blazing wall of flame erupted behind her. There she was, in all her glory. Fri, her hair tied back to look like Ho-Oh's tail, and her shirt changed to a bandeau top of the same bright red hue her t-shirt had been. She had her hands in her coat pockets as she ambled down the stairs.

Jethro glanced around him as she approached. The room was filled with tapestries depicting powerful Fire Type Pokèmon. An Arcanine, a Chandelure, a Typhlosion, a Camerupt, a Rapidash, and the legendary bird of Kanto, Moltres. Behind the wall of flames was a massive statue of a Charizard, clearly carved from something dark like obsidian or onyx. The ceiling was covered in elaborate and shining tiles, and was supported by massive gilded columns. The walls were painted dark red and the floor was made of slabs of Cinnabar. Everything glinted in the light of the fire, including the gold ring holding Fri's hair up.

Overall, it was actually somewhat intimidating. Fri came to a stop in front of him. "My name is actually Frita."

"Frita," Jethro echoed, nodding as a grin spread across his face. "Of course it is."

"Yes. Frita Warmhart. Grand Champion of the Pokemon League and Regional Champion of Mara." She paused, grinning. The light reflected off her teeth in shades of red and gold and burned fiercely in her bright green eyes. "Would you care to challenge me?"

It was Jethro's turn to grin. He had no intentions of letting Frita intimidate him now. "Well, I came this far. Might as well go out in an all-or-nothing effort." From what he had seen of her Pokémon, he was confident in his ability to handle them. _Don't underestimate her,_ he reminded himself. _She earned her position in the League for good reason._

Frita took a few steps forward and snapped her fingers. The floor of the room lifted with a hydraulic whoosh and began to rotate. The bottom was set with a simple, standard Pokémon battling field.

Jethro raised an eyebrow. "All that show for a standard battlefield? A tad eccentric, is it n- well… then again, knowing you..," he muttered. Frita jumped back, so that she was standing in the trainer box on the opposite side, and Jethro followed suit on his side. As he was about to send out one of his Pokémon, the field lurched and he had to devote his attention to keeping his balance.

His heart caught in his throat as the field began to rise, and the ceiling tiles folded back. He looked around as the hydraulics slowly lifted them upward. The field locked into place and Jethro exclaimed in surprise as his momentum carried him a few inches into the air. They were on the roof of the Mara Pokémon League, surrounded on all sides by grassy hills and ocean water. The sky stretched as far as he could see in nearly every direction.

"Wow…" He wanted to say more, but that was all he could manage.

Railings came up around the trainer boxes as they lifted slightly up and back, extending the field even further. They locked into place with a shudder. Jethro watched Frita carefully. She was standing rather nonchalantly across from him. He jumped as a voice boomed from some unknown place.

"This will be-! Pfft! Hahaha!" The voice paused to laugh at his near heart-attack. "Man, I love it when they freak like that!" Jethro turned in every direction, trying to find the source of the sound, his hand ghosting to his sword reflexively.

"You're not gonna find me, genius. I don't have a body." Jethro's brow furrowed.

"Alright," he said slowly. "So I'm talking to a disembodied voice. Possibly not the first time, but one of the slightly less-appreciated." The voice laughed again, and a hologram appeared in the middle of the field. It was a man, about 20, in red clothing. He had glasses and bright red hair.

-

"And when I say red, I mean like apple red." Jethro interjected, emphasizing the point by waving his hands by his head.

"Groudon red?" Valin asked.

"Weeelllll, pretty close," Jethro said, waving his hand in a so-so manner.

-

He had brilliant blue eyes, and wore a gray undershirt beneath his red leather jacket. He wore black shoes, and had green gems set in his jacket as perfectly placed accents.

He pushed his glasses up his nose and smirked.

"Say hello to Dexter!" Frita called from across the field.

"Dexter?" Jethro called back. He smirked. The name was familiar enough to him. "Let me guess!"

"That's right, Einstein," Dexter mocked, crossing his arms. "I'm the AI program that runs Fri's Pokédex. I'll be the referee for this battle. It will be six on six, no time limits and no restrictions except that only the Challenger can substitute Pokémon. Sound fair?" Jethro nodded, the grin still plastered on his face. "Good. Then, battle begin!"


	14. Chapter 14: Jethro vs Frita (Part 1)

"Come on out, my friend!" Jethro called as he released Burner, the Fire-Type rising from its kneeling position.

Frita grinned, pausing to pull a guitar that had been slung across her back forward so she could hold it. It was shaped and painted like a black Charizard. "I'll trust you for this, Rupt!" She threw a completely ordinary Pokéball which erupted with light to reveal a sizeable Camerupt. Not abnormal, but certainly not puny by any means.

Frita's foot began to tap and within moments she was wailing out some serious riffs on her guitar. It was accompanied by singing that seemed to come from nowhere in particular until Jethro realized that Keith was sitting in the ref's "box" next to Frita's actual Pokédex and singing the words to the song she was playing.

"Oh boy," Jethro murmured, both to Keith and to the choice of a Camerupt. A Fire-and-Ground Type… never a good match against a Blaziken.

Frita grinned at him. "Challengers first," she yelled above the music.

Jethro shrugged. "Burner, Sky Uppercut!" he bellowed. Burner burst forward, charging the Camerupt and letting loose with a fierce blow to Camerupt's chin; a direct hit.

Frita never gave a single command, for the entire battle. The massive camel Pokémon shot up into the air from the force of the blow, shaking her head. She ended up facing the sky, her back to the ground. Without warning the twin volcanoes, pointed right at her opponent, erupted with vigor. They sprayed lava and pumice everywhere, a Lava Plume attack.

"Dodge it!" Jethro hollered, and Burner darted sideways, some of the feathers on its legs getting singed from the heat of the attack; nothing severe, but still fairly close.

Rupt pulled a roll the second that Frita hit a high note with her guitar. She slammed into the ground, launching a powerful Earthquake. The way Frita's Pokémon flowed from move to move reminded Jethro more of a Contest Battle and less of a Champion's Battle, but the result was startlingly efficient. Not a single movement was wasted in between the first and second attacks.

Burner leapt into the air, barely avoiding damage from the Earthquake. Jethro really hated Camerupts sometimes. "Burner, return!" he called out, and the Blaziken was recalled to its Ball.

Picking the Dusk Ball from his strap, he tossed it into the air. "Golurk! Come on out!" The large Ghost-and-Ground Type floated toward the battlefield, its propulsion letting it descend gently down to the arena. Its arms and legs came back into place, and it landed softly on the ground. "Use Earthquake!" Jethro called out. Golurk lifted one of its large legs and brought it down forcefully, rocking the entire battlefield just as Camerupt had.

The Pokémon was knocked back, snorting indignantly. She wasn't going to go down easy, but she was starting to snort more often, getting tired. She let out a bellow, charging straight at Golurk. Her breath came heavily out of her nose as she hefted her bulky body forward with serious power. When she was near enough, she let loose a mighty Flamethrower, continuing her charge without missing a beat.

"Phantom Force!" Jethro called out. Golurk's eyes glowed, and it disappeared in an instant, the Flamethrower missing it by a fraction. At the wail of Frita's guitar strings, Rupt came to a screeching halt. She plopped down, but only with her back legs so that she was sitting in a rather awkward position...and she just sat there and didn't move an inch.

Jethro looked around the battlefield. Golurk was quite… an interesting member of his arrangement. It was remarkably clever, and always calm… but even he sometimes had trouble predicting its attack strategy.

Golurk emerged from the shadow that Camerupt was casting on the ground, slamming into it with full force and latching onto its muzzle. It drew its other fist back, and it became shrouded by a dark aura.

"Shadow Punch away, Golurk!" Jethro called. The Pokemon's fist barreled forward, slamming into the Camerupt with full force, sending it to the ground. Rupt struggled to her feet, wobbling before falling completely on her side. She continued to flail, trying to right herself, but ultimately failing. Sweat had dampened her fur, and she let out a defeated snort, her strength finally running out. Her head hit the ground, staring ahead, past Jethro and blinking slowly as if to say: Ok, I'm done.

Dexter, recognizing the lost will to fight, marked the powerhouse as a K.O. and let Frita recall her.

"Quite the powerhouse, that one!" Jethro called. "I bet you're proud of it!"

Frita simply nodded in response, pausing in her guitar playing only momentarily to throw another completely plain Pokéball. Her fat and somewhat lazy Chandelure burst from it, entering the fray hitting hard by immediately firing several Shadow Balls in quick succession followed by a powerful Flamethrower.

Golurk barely managed to avoid the first few Shadow Balls, and the Flamethrower knocked it down to its knees, though its light still shone brightly inside. It stood up shakily, looking the Chandelure right in its yellow eyes. Chandelure shot straight at the other Pokémon, the bottom of its body pointed at its opponent while spinning rapidly. Golurk dodged, but Chandelure came to an abrupt halt, still spinning and released a powerful Flamethrower from every flame on its body, striking the powerful Pokémon in the back.

Golurk fell forward, unable to continue. Jethro returned it to its Dusk Ball and threw an Ultra Ball out, releasing the Protagoyle.

"Stone Edge!" Jethro bellowed. Protagoyle's eyes glowed blue, and sharp stones burst up from the ground, striking the Chandelure multiple times. The Pokémon was sent somersaulting backward, pausing next to Frita after bouncing off the ground right next to her. She glanced at it and it rushed forward again, not giving an inch.

Protagoyle furrowed its brow, determined. "Air Slash!" Jethro commanded. Protagoyle's wings began to glow, and with one flap, several sharp slices of glowing air rushed straight at the Chandelure. Frita's living lamp spun away in several directions to dodge most of the attack, and blocked one hit with a Shadow Ball. The resulting explosion did throw it back though.

Protagoyle took the opportunity to fly forward, grabbing Chandelure by the face and spinning it around, planting its feet and releasing it into another Stone Edge attack. The Pokémon let out the most Arceus-awful wail and floated slowly down to the battlefield as Protagoyle let it go. It proceeded to pass out the second it hit, its body making a glass clanking noise against the ground.

Frita recalled it when it was deemed K.O.d. She sent out another Pokémon, one that Jethro had never seen before...It was HUGE! It had flames running down its back and a giant silver plate with fangs over its face. Its long tail had steel plating set at intervals, and flames burst from them. It was like a Typhlosion had been mixed with a Steel Type.

Taking a moment, Jethro dug out his Pokédex.

#104 Diablaze

The Inferno Pokémon

Type: Fire/Steel

They live deep underground near lava pits and molten magma. They love the heat and their blazing appearance proves it. The patch on their chest is actually armor that melted during their evolution.

"Well this is an interesting matchup," he muttered, scrunching his brows together. He was seriously irritated at the fact that Golurk had already fainted by now.

Diablaze let out a ferocious roar ending the cry by rapidly charging up a Flash Cannon.

"Protagoyle! Brick Break!" Jethro called out. The Pokémon rushed forward, its fist glowing white as it advanced.

Diablaze launched the attack at the ground, throwing itself back and creating a large dust cloud. Its growling could be heard from somewhere inside.

"Use Air Slash to clear the dust away!" Jethro called. With wings glowing with energy, Protagoyle flapped hard, ascending partway into the air and ridding the area of the dust cloud.

Diablaze's vertical jumping power was a bit of a shock, as the Pokémon dove straight off the ground toward Protagoyle. Its teeth were glowing as it snapped at the stone dragon several times. Protagoyle rolled to one side in midair and swung down hard with another Brick Break as soon as Diablaze got close enough to it. The move was caught in Diablaze's strong jaws, being countered with the currently active Steel Fang attack it was trying to use. The result was a large explosion. Diablaze landed solidly, completely tanking the hit and growling lowly as Frita continued to play her guitar. Protagoyle barely managed to land on its feet, needing to flap its wings forcefully to keep from slamming too hard into the battlefield.

Diablaze rushed forward, which wasn't exactly super fast, but it was enough. When it was within range, it let loose a series of Mach Punches. Protagoyle couldn't avoid them all, and ended up flying back, fainting just underneath Jethro. He returned it to its Ultra Ball, taking the top Ball off his strap and tossing it. Burner returned to the battlefield, slightly less winded than before.

"Sky Uppercut!" Jethro bellowed, and Burner bolted forward, its fist glowing a light blue as it ran up and delivered a fierce blow to the Diablaze's jaw. The big Pokémon tried to block the blow, but while it had a lot of Power and Defense, its Speed was fairly poor. It took the hit head on, stumbling back a bit and growling. It launched a Flamethrower and charged back forward again.

Burner leaped up, the Flamethrower passing beneath it, and it came back down with a Thunder Punch, striking the Diablaze on the head. The metal plate on Diablaze's head was the perfect conductor for electricity, and it stumbled backward, dazed. Burner took the opportunity to unleash a Flamethrower in its face at point blank. In its daze, the Pokemon could hardly react quickly, but it did unintentionally block the blast by lowering its head in confusion. The metal plate caused the flames to shoot out to the sides of its face, doing little more than heating up the plate and pushing it back a bit with the force.

Burner stepped back and retaliated with a small flurry of Thunder Punches to its head again. Diablaze fell to its knees and its fire began to dim. It was completely exhausted, but there was nothing that Frita could do, as she was not allowed to substitute Pokemon during the battle. Diablaze, however, were known for being incredibly stubborn as a whole, and this one was no different. It continued to struggle, flaring its flame and glaring at Burner with one of the most intense looks that the two had ever seen. A low growl rumbled in its throat that turned to a roar as it hauled its heavy body back to its feet.

Its response was another Sky Uppercut to the chest and jaw, one that sent Diablaze straight into the air. The Pokemon landed with a heavy thud, accompanied by a loud grunt as the air rushed from its lungs. It just layed there, motionless for several minutes, before it managed to breathe again. It was obvious that continuing was no longer an option.

Jethro let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as Burner stepped back, panting lightly. "Good job, Burner!" the Wandering Hero called, and his first partner gave him a thumbs-up over its shoulder.

Frita called out another Pokemon, one more to add to the list of ones Jethro had never seen. It was large and black, with four clawed feet. He couldn't see a tail, but that didn't mean that it didn't have one. There was a steaming hole in the middle of the Pokemon's back, surrounded by a large gold lip, and its large head reminded him of most dragon Pokemon.

Jethro raised a finger slowly, his brow creased as he pointed at the newcomer. "What…is that?" he called out, not bothering going for his Pokedex this time.

"#135 Scaldron

The Superheated Pokemon

Type: Fire/Water

It's body temperature is over 6000 degrees F. They are sometimes seen collecting items and throwing them into the hole in their backs. Scientists are unsure why they do this."

Frita recited its Pokedex entry for him, word for word like a dex would, apparently from memory. Fire Pokemon seemed to be her specialty, but this one had a bit of a twist with its dual Typing.

"Fire and Water, huh?' Jethro muttered, covering his mouth in thought. "This'll be interesting… Still up for it, Burner?" he shouted. The Fire-and-Fighting-Type took a stance, its wrists blazing fiercely. "Alright then. Thunder Punch!" Burner's claws dug into the ground as it launched forward with great power and speed, electricity crackling around its fist as it hurled forward.

Scaldron launched a steaming Scald attack, missing its target. No surprise there, Burner was too fast for it. However, as Burner got closer, Scaldron's stance began to change. Before it could land a hit, Scaldron had flipped completely over, dousing it in scalding hot water and trapping it inside the metal dome of its body.

Jethro merely stood still, blinking in surprise at the unique form of combat the Pokemon had taken. "Alright, well," he muttered, nodding to one side and lazily tossing his hand up. "That's… new…" There was a dull, metal thud as Burner tried to use another Thunder Punch from inside, the electricity surging throughout the Scaldron's body. Jethro's eyes went wide as he noticed something. Its legs twitched and stiffened, and it ceased moving.

"Uh, Frita?" he shouted, grabbing the railing and hopping over it, landing on the battlefield and rolling a few times. "I think it's Paralyzed!"

For the first and last time in the entire battle, Frita fully stopped playing her guitar. She jumped, casually, over the barrier and onto the arena as Jethro had done seconds earlier. He was trying, with no success, to lift her Scaldron up off the battlefield. She strolled calmly over to him, shoving him aside. "Hold on."

She bent down, grabbing the Scaldron by the tail, (which it did in fact have) and hefting it upward. She let go of the ring shaped appendage once the Pokemon had flipped far enough that its own weight would tip it the rest of the way upright.

Burner lay on the battlefield, soaked and steaming. It had apparently fainted after the last attack, and Jethro merely shrugged as he returned it, smirking. "I'm not even the slightest bit mad," he admitted. "That was both amusing and impressive right there. Well done." He turned around and looked up at the platform, putting his hands on his hips and taking a deep breath. "Please tell me there are stairs on the back of these things," he said.

"Nope." Frita walked just as nonchalantly back across the battlefield before pausing and assuming a crouching stance. She jumped, rather impressively, up high enough and far enough to grab one of the railings. Using the rest of her momentum, she threw herself over it and back into the trainer box. "I've seen you, you can find a way back up there somehow." She called over her shoulder as she picked her guitar back up.

Her Scaldron lugged its way across the battlefield and back onto her side, its body already filling back up with water.

His eyebrows leveled out across his face. (-_-) "Showoff," he muttered under his breath. He tossed an Ultra Ball into the air, and Metagross stood before him. Catching the Ball on his way up, Jethro climbed on top of it and knelt down. "Mind if I catch a lift?" he asked, and Metagross levitated up, allowing Jethro to step off back into his own Trainer's box. He turned around and patted Metagross on the head. "Thanks," he said, grinning. "Use Earthquake."

Metagross's body stopped glowing, and it dropped like a stone in water to the battlefield, shaking it violently.

Scaldron bounced around the battlefield like a rubber ball, being thrown from one side to the other. It flailed for a minute, righting itself, before flooding the field with Surf. The red eyes of Metagross began to glow brightly, and the Surf halted in its tracks. It turned the attack around and sent it arching into the air.

Scaldron fired a Scald attack out of its back, creating a jet of water that split the massive wave in two. It swirled around the Pokemon's feet as it fired a Flamethrower at the tank. The silver-and-gold Pokemon levitated inches from the ground and floated to the side, avoiding the Flamethrower and making its way to its opponent. It swerved right, then left over the attack, and then spun rapidly, slamming into the Scaldron forcefully.

The Pokemon made one last ditch effort before its strength gave out, launching a furious Overheat as Metagross slammed into it full force. The attack caught two of Metagross's legs, one much less severe than the other but enough to do quite a bit of damage.

Frita withdrew her Scaldron as it landed with a loud clang on her side of the field after bouncing off the hydraulics holding her Trainer's box. She released a Pokemon, who she affectionately referred to as Wildfire. A Typhlosion, and a scruffy one at that. He shot into action immediately, running on all fours straight at Metagross.

The four-legged tank anchored itself to the ground and unleashed a Psychic attack, tearing up the battlefield in front of it and throwing chunks of it straight up.

Wildfire vaulted over the jagged ground like it was nothing. Frita knew her Pokémon's strengths and weaknesses and had prepared him well. He bounced from piece to piece like a gymnast, closing the gap between the two of them in little time at all.

"This is why she's Grand Champion," Jethro said, smiling. "Close the gaps!" he called. Metagross dipped its head a little, and the chunks of earth converged, two massive walls of ground and rocks slamming together.

Wildfire sped up in response to what Jethro assumed was Frita's change in tempo with her guitar playing. It was impressive, giving orders through sound equipment instead of trying to yell them over the din of battle. The Typhlosion melted his way through any barriers he couldn't jump or climb over. His eyes held a certain look, as if to say "Here I come."

He ran at Metagross head on, jumping just before he would have slammed into its face. He spun as he soared over Metagross's back, rubbing the thick fur on his shoulders together and creating a massive explosion. The force of the blast created a large dust cloud, which Wildfire burst from, somersaulting high into the air from the force.

He landed on all four feet on Frita's side of the field with a snort.

Jethro blinked. "How is it I forgot they could do that?" he muttered under his breath. The dust settled, and Metagross lay splayed out on the ground, fainted. He nodded and took the Ultra Ball from his strap, returning the Pokémon. "You did good, big guy," he said, tapping the Ball to his chest over his heart. "Real good." He put the Ball back on the strap and took off another Dusk Ball.

"Alright, Hitotagon," he said, touching the Ball to his forehead. "Let's do this together." He launched the Ball, releasing the Dragon/Ghost-Type.

Hitotagon landed on all fours, its gaze averting directly to Frita. "Hello again, Grand Champion," it said, nodding up to her before facing the Typhlosion.

Frita tipped her head to it, not pausing for even a second. Wildfire let out a powerful Flamethrower, his flames bursting from his neck and radiating heat.

Hitotagon reeled its head back and unleashed it own Flamethrower, following up with a Shadow Ball.

The flames collided and cancelled each other out, leaving Wildfire with minimal time to duck away from the Shadow Ball, which flew over his head and arched up into the air before exploding.

He launched a Swift attack, sending a barrage of glowing yellow stars at his opponent.

Hitotagon unleashed Dragon Pulse, the attack swatting the stars out of the air. It then pounced forward, claws outstretched as it slammed into the Typhlosion.

Wildfire kicked out with his strong back legs, hitting the other Pokémon in the stomach. It didn't seem to be enough to dislodge his attacker though, so he continued with several rapid kicks like a Delcatty with a yarn ball.

Hitotagon quickly let go and spun around, lashing out with its tail to smack Wildfire away. It let loose another Dragon Pulse as the Pokémon was knocked away, its wings unfurling slightly as it lifted off the ground.

The Typhlosion shook his head, blinking from the hit. He launched another Flamethrower at the now airborne Dragon and Ghost Type.

Hitotagon flapped hard, the searing flames shooting just underneath it as it dove forward and down, launching another Shadow Ball at its target.

Wildfire dove straight at the oncoming Pokemon, spinning in midair with his back arched to avoid the oncoming hit. His eyes gleamed with the ferocity of a wild Pokémon for a few seconds, betraying his nickname. He launched a point blank Flamethrower as he and Hitotagon came almost face to face.

The Dragon-Type reeled back from the attack, its eyes shut as it lashed out with a fierce and swift Iron Tail, smacking Wildfire in the face. It landed roughly and coughed, its face charred and singed.

Wildfire landed heavily on his feet, sliding across the battlefield a bit. He rubbed his face, clearly not happy about a second strike to his head. His small eyes narrowed as he tried to judge what the spirit dragon might do next.

Hitotagon tilted his head back and forth, trying to use its ears to determine where its opponent was.

"You trust me, right?" Jethro called. Hitotagon turned its head to the side and nodded slowly. "Alright…" he analyzed the field and squinted. "Phase into the ground and resurface twenty yards ahead!" The Pokémon sank into the ground and disappeared.

Wildfire tensed as Jethro called his commands. He was no idiot, it was obvious an attack was coming and he had no intention of tanking the hit like before.

"Now!" Jethro called after about a minute. Hitotagon leapt from the ground and stretched its claws out, readying a Dragon Pulse.

Wildfire's eyes held a sharpness to them only seen in the most vicious of creatures as he himself readied a powerful Flamethrower.

The attacks launched simultaneously and at very close range, colliding with enough force to create a large explosion. Both Pokémon were unavoidably caught in the blast as smoke and dust covered the battlefield.

When it cleared it was obvious that both of them had fainted at seemingly the same time. Dexter declared a double K.O. and both Trainers were down to their last Pokémon.


	15. Chapter 15: Jethro vs Frita (Part 2)

"You did well," Jethro said, nuzzling the Dusk Ball with his nose and putting it back on his strap. "How often does it come down to both parties being down to their last Pokémon?" he called to Frita.

"Not often. But then, I rarely start with the Pokémon I used this time!" She responded, not pausing her wailing riffs for even a second.

"Fair enough!" He raised his hand to the Master Ball on his backpack strap, hovering over the orb. "Ready for the final round?"

Frita raised an eyebrow in a way as to say 'You have to ask?', and nodded. Her guitar playing had turned much more harsh, reaching a level that was somewhere between Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. Her stance changed as well, reflecting the hard hitting music change, and there was a glint of something else in her eyes that Jethro couldn't quite put his finger on. He smirked and tapped the button on the front. 

"My friend… we need your assistance," he said quietly. He stood straight and folded his hands behind his back, eyebrows raised but eyelids remaining the same.

There was a thunderous roar in the distance, followed by a swift shadow passing over them. The delayed wind rush blew Jethro's already relatively messy hair around, and the clouds spun and swirled as the Pokémon revealed itself.

A black Rayquaza descended and coiled up behind Jethro, lowering its head next to him, a soft rumble rolling from its throat.

Frita raised an eyebrow for a moment, then shrugged. She paused in her playing to pull something silver to her lips. Around her neck on a small cord was a silver whistle that looked like a Charizard. She only used the whistle on special occasions such as this.

The sound was loud and somewhat low given how small the tinket was. Jethro frowned as he noticed something circling the small island in the water. He gave Frita a confused look. So far her Pokemon had been largely Fire Types, a sudden Water Type didn't fit the bill.

The ocean exploded behind her, the spray sparkling in the sunset. The Pokémon she had summoned landed on the stadium with such force that it rocked the entire thing, forcing Jethro to focus on keeping his balance momentarily. Before him was a massive black...well, thing.

As he watched, Frita yelled a command. "Charlie! Instant Ignition!" Whatever the Pokemon was, it glowed blue from deep within before flaring its wings outward with a deafening roar. It was a massive black Charizard, flames suddenly exploding from its once bare tail. The thing was at least four times the size of a normal Charizard. Its large red eyes fixed on the two figures before it, pupils thin. Its head was easily bigger than Rayquaza's, with it being naturally wider and longer anyway. A jet of brilliant blue fire erupted from its mouth and shot into the sky a great distance.

Jethro stood jaw agape. "But...how...that's...HUH?!" Frita grinned at him. "This is Charlie! He has a special ability called Proof...specifically, WaterProof!"

Jethro blinked and looked to Rayquaza, who looked back and shrugged. "I am very unsure if it's cheating or not, but hey, unfair power advantage or not, we're going out in a blaze of… however this'll end," the Trainer said.

With a single harsh riff on Frita's guitar, Charlie was airborne. He shot through the air like a rocket, straight at the Legend before him with a mighty roar. His bulky frame might not have been graceful in movement like the sky dragon, but he was much faster than he looked so it didn't really matter.

Rayquaza roared right back and barrelled ahead, colliding with Charlie and wrapping its body around him. Opening its mouth, it unleashed a Dragon Pulse point blank at Charlie's head. He tanked the hit, eyes wild as he gave another vicious roar. It was an unnerving sound, almost as though he was wild with rage.

He sank his teeth into Rayquaza's body, flinging his head and forcibly ripping the dragon's grip from his body. With a single swing he threw it to the side, launching a powerful jet of blue flame as he did so. The fire curled around part of Rayquaza's body, burning hot as it ran down the section of scales.

Jethro's eyes widened, looking to Frita with a bit of concern. If Charlie was really that fierce and beast-like in battle, he began to wonder if it was worth battling him at all. Rayquaza got a challenging gleam in its own eyes, and Jethro figured he'd let the Legendary take as much as it could handle. It seemed to take the fire pretty well, so he figured it wouldn't make sense to quit now.

"Thunderbolt!" he yelled, and Rayquaza unleashed a fierce Electric attack, diving around Charlie and clamping down on his neck in response. "Ohh, that may not have been a wise choice, my friend…"

Charlie roared, electricity sparking around his body. He thrashed, striking out with one of his powerful wings and slamming the Legendary, transferring some of the static from his body to Rayquaza's. It wasn't much, and the black dragon easily shook it off, but it was enough. Unbridled fury burned in his red eyes as he latched onto the serpentine Pokémon, digging his claws into its back.

Rayquaza roared out in pain as it blasted an Ice Beam at Charlie's face and wriggled away, spiraling into the clouds.

"Keep away from him for a while!" Jethro called. He looked to the large screen. "Dex!" he shouted. "Or Frita, if you can hear me, can we put a hold on the music for two minutes?! We need to talk about that!" he gestured to the seemingly out-of-control oversized Charizard.

Dexter turned the volume down on Frita's amp as her Charizard roared and shot after Rayquaza, pursuing it relentlessly as it tried to escape him. He shot several Flamethrowers at it as he went, catching parts of its body with the flames. "Charlie is fierce in battle. He has been for almost as long as he's been a Charizard." Frita called over to him. "He's a Legend Breaker...he knows just how hard it is take down a Legendary Pokémon. He'll give it everything he's got."

Jethro raised an eyebrow and looked up as Rayquaza unleashed another Thunderbolt from a distance. "I still find myself rather unsettled by that kind of behavior, even from a Pokémon of that size and intelligence," he muttered, shrugging. "Just make sure he doesn't rip Rayquaza to absolute shreds, please? It's a crucial part in the world's balance, I'm sure you know… and I have a strong connection to it."

Frita nodded at him. "No worries, if he even tries I'll stop him in the blink of an eye." Charlie dove hard as she spoke, avoiding the Thunderbolt. He pulled up hard as he careened toward the arena, the force of the air as he rushed by the two trainers rattling the boxes they stood on. This added momentum helped him speed up even more as he battered Rayquaza with several blows executed with beautiful aerial turns.

Rayquaza snarled, having had enough. It shot straight up into the sky, arching back down and corkscrewing rapidly back at Charlie. At the last second, it curled inward, letting the momentum of its body carry its tail down heavily, slamming hard into Charlie.

He took the hit hard, but had no intention of giving in. Since Rayquaza had so generously left itself open for Charlie to grab its tail, he did so. He hurtled it at the arena with significant force, hoping to stun it momentarily.

Rayquaza managed to halt its descent just in time, a gust of dust blowing up around it. It gazed up at Charlie, hovering in place a few meters above the battle platform.

Charlie folded his wings, plummeting straight down. As he rapidly approached Rayquaza it moved to avoid his sturdy tail as he swung it with force at the Pokémon. He hit the arena like a meteor, shattering it and throwing up bits of it and a cloud of dust.

From his dusty cover he launched a powerful Overheat straight at the Legendary before shooting upward, using his strong legs and large wings to heft his mighty frame up off the leftover metal base of the arena at incredible speed.

Rayquaza spiraled around the attack, the heat and light from it making its black scales glisten, its fins getting slightly singed. It shook off the heat, panting slightly. Jethro frowned. For his best powerhouse to be winded this easily… Charlie was no opponent to underestimate. He looked up and put a hand to his chin, stroking it in thought. He looked back to Rayquaza, the Legendary tilting its head at him. "Catch up to him," he said, and the long Pokemon shot up after the oversized starter.

Charlie tucked his wings, shooting even higher. When he started to slow, he flared his wings wide, coming to a full stop and flipping. He tucked his wings again, this time rocketing straight back down, aiming at Rayquaza. As he neared the Legendary, he grabbed its head, pulling it along with him before doing a flip and flinging it at the ground with the combined force of his momentum and strength, unleashing a mighty roar as he did so.

Jethro stood, jaw agape as he watched his Legendary get hurled into the ground. "Yeah, Mossdeep, we have a, uhhh, negative on that trajectory," he said as the Dragon shook the ground, making Jethro jump a good two inches off the platform. When the dust settled, Rayquaza lay still, its face actually somewhat adorably grumpy as it shook its head at Jethro. He looked to Frita and waved his fingers horizontally in front of his neck. He unclipped the Master Ball from his backpack strap and returned Rayquaza to it, one of the few times he actually had to do so.

"Go ahead and say it, Dex," he said. "We're done."

"And that's it! The Challenger is unable to continue, Frita defends her title!"

Frita jumped out of the trainer's box, her boots clanking against the raw metal base of the arena. It was dented in the middle where Rayquaza had landed so she slid a little toward the center. "That was fun, but you'll never beat my big lug of a sweetheart like that." She winked at Jethro.

The entire building shook as Charlie plummeted to the floor. His large red eyes were about 70% pupil at this point and he was panting quite a bit. Frita rubbed his nose affectionately and he began to thump his tail on the ground, face showing obvious happiness. She lifted herself with a quiet "Hup!" so that she was sitting on the end of his snout. She stood, hands on her hips and looked up at Jethro.

Before he could get down, Charlie flung his head up, throwing Frita into the air. She did a backflip before landing on his snout again and front flipping off to land on the railing of Jethro's trainers box with one leg bent and the other pushing off straight against it in the opposite direction. She extended her hand curtly, her other one resting on her hip as she bent slightly forward at the waist toward him. "Brilliant battle though."

Jethro blinked for a few seconds and then chortled, taking her hand and shaking it. "Showoff," he chuckled. "Always one for theatrics, aren't you?" He let her hand go and crossed his arms. "I will admit, that was indeed a brilliant battle." He looked past her to the shockingly-affectionate oversized Charizard. "Especially with him."

Frita grinned and winked at him. "Oh you know me so well." She looked over her shoulder at the Fire Type. "He may look big and scary, and he can be, but he's got a heart of solid gold." She smiled again, standing up straight and putting her arms out. She leaned backward in a reverse swan dive, falling straight back and landing on Charlie's snout. He had immediately taken steps to catch her the minute she began to move.

"Just a big ol' softy, huh?" Jethro asked as he leaned against the railing with his arms crossed. "I gotta admit, he sure is extra cuddly at that size." He reached out a little with one hand. "May I?"

Charlie flicked his head, throwing Frita up and thrust his nose against Jethro's hand with a happy (and deep voiced) "Raowwww!". Frita landed on Charlie's back, sliding down it and most of the way down his tail until she landed perfectly on her feet on the ground. "I think he'd like that, yeah!" She called up.

Jethro laughed as he rubbed the oversized Pokémon's muzzle. "You're just a big teddy bear, aren't you?" he asked, both hands scratching and rubbing Charlie's snout. "Yeeeaaaahhhh, you're just a big loveable guuuyyy! You luv dah luviiins, you luuv iiiiit!" Jethro beamed, marveling at this ferocious battler's much softer and sweeter personality.

Charlie grinned happily, his tail shaking the ground as he quickly stomped back and forth. After a few seconds, he just couldn't stop himself even though he knew Frita would be upset with him, and doused Jethro in spit as he licked the man like an excited Growlithe. He actually lifted Jethro off the ground for a second, plopping him back down in a puddle of drool.

Jethro grimaced, flinging spit off his arms as he flicked them quickly. "Aaaahhhhhh, hahahaha..." he groaned as he chuckled, looking up at Charlie with a raised eyebrow. "Well I'll admit, I did not see that one coming." He shook his arms off a little more, frowning at his condition. "Well that's gonna take forever to wash out," he muttered. He looked down to the battlefield. "Ohhh, Fritaaa! How would you like a hug?" He looked down at himself again. "Then again I don't think I could hold you in one worth two seconds…"

Frita, meanwhile, was facepalming hard. She gave a loud groan and glared up at Charlie. "You know better! No licking people! Remember what happened with Steven's suit? Bad!" Charlie hung his head, big red eyes sad. He gave a soft grunt in response.

"Awww, he's just showin' his affection," Jethro said, wishing he had a Water-Type with him right now. "No harm, no foul." He tapped Charlie's head. "Mind helping me down, though? I don't wanna use you as a slip 'n' slide with your own spit down your back."

Frita gave a grunt. "You won't be saying that next week when you finally get the smell out of your hair and have to throw away your clothes." She shook her head, looking up at him. Charlie picked him up by his collar, bringing him down to Frita's level.

"Charlie-vator, going down. First floor, lob-by!" Jethro squawked as he stepped forward and slipped, his legs flinging into the air and sending him crashing onto his back. He groaned and lifted his head up. "Oh bellboy, do be a good chap and help a poor man out, eh? I've fallen and I dare not get up. Or even try at this point," he added with a mutter as he looked around at the floor, asking no one in particular.

Frita rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Any Pokémon with Ice Type moves with you? You could maybe freeze the spit off. Can't burn it away, tried that already, trust me."

"Oh, geez, that sounds like it must have been a great time," Jethro muttered as he tapped (or at least tried to) the Master Ball, releasing Rayquaza again. The serpentine dragon gave Charlie a quick glare before tilting its head, looking at Jethro in amusement.

"Should I ask?" it inquired.

"Please don't," Jethro muttered. "Just Ice Beam me."

Rayquaza blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"Just trust me on this," the Trainer insisted, nodding. Rayquaza shrugged and shot a low-power and quick Ice-Beam, encasing the Wandering Hero in a thin layer of ice. Jethro looked to Frita, his head still free to move. "Now what?" he asked with a squeaky voice.

"Well, start trying to break chunks off."

"Rayquaza?" Jethro asked, gesturing with his head for the Legendary to come closer. The black dragon reached down with its claw and tapped on a section of the ice block. It cracked, and Rayquaza tapped a little harder, making the section shatter and fall off of Jethro's side. The large Pokemon tilted its head and lowered itself closer, taking Jethro in its mouth and gently biting down, cracking the whole ice block and dropping him, shattering the cold encasing and freeing him. He popped right up, shivering and rubbing his arms, but free of any more slobber.

"Warm him up, big guy." Frita waved at Jethro to get Charlie to pull his tail closer. The flame on the end was very warm, and Jethro stopped shivering after a few moments.

It was starting to turn to twilight, the sky taking on a purple indigo hue as an orange glow remained on the horizon. The ocean glittered with the last bit of light. Frita ambled over to the edge of the platform, sitting down and letting out a sigh as she looked out across the ocean at the last of the day.

Jethro sighed and held his hands out in front of the fiery tail for a few more moments before walking over to Frita, giving Charlie a pat on the snout as he walked past the enormous head. He stood next to the Champion, resting his weight on one leg as he crossed his arms and looked out at the view before them.

"I've visited a few Regions," he said. "Seen quite a few sights, all of them unique and beautiful in their own way." He pointed forward to the sunset. "But never have I seen anything like that until now. Well…" He shrugged to one side. "That's a lie, I've seen plenty of great sunsets, but this is by far the best one I've seen in Mara."

"You're from Hoenn, yes?" Frita asked, not moving her gaze.

"That's correct," Jethro said with a nod. "Same town as the 'Princess of Hoenn' herself." He chuckled. "Quite the interesting kid, that May…" He shook his head. "Sorry. Rambling...bit of a habit."

"You've met the Champion, no doubt."

"Steven Stone? Oh yeah, I've met him. Great guy- his rock collection is nuts- and I'm rambling again." His eyebrows leveled out in irritation.

"I'm from Cinnibar Island...I've visited many regions, but...Hoenn's sunsets...they were always my favorite...this is the only thing that comes close…but it's not close enough, not really."

Jethro looked down to Frita and nodded, eyebrows raising. "Well, now that you mention it… I can see it, yes. Though, I still gotta say, Mara has its own certain flair." He looked to Frita again. "You say you're from Cinnabar? And you find Hoenn's sunsets favorable…" He shrugged again. "Well, I can't argue it does have some very gorgeous ones rather frequently."

Frita gave an amused grunt, closing her eyes. "Yes, those statements are certainly true...I particularly like the ones I can see from Mossdeep. They're very...special." She stood, Dexter's physical casing (which she had grabbed from it's pedestal when she jumped down) sliding from her pants pocket. It landed on the platform with a gentle "Tnk." Something slid out from its center, fluttering an inch or so away.

"Oh- dropped something," Jethro said as he bent down to pick up the piece of paper. He turned it over and blinked a few times, straightening up as he let the image sink in, a knowing smirk spreading across his lips. "Well that explains it a little."

In his hands was a picture of Steven himself, somewhat younger, sitting on a large rock next to what was obviously a younger Frita. Wallace, the Sootopolis Gym Leader, was clearly the cameraman as his hand and braceleted wrist were visible on one side of the frame, giving an obnoxious thumbs up.

Jethro snorted and shook his head. "Wallace was eccentric even then, huh?" he asked as he handed the picture over to its rightful owner.

Frita's eyes widened a little. "Yes. He's always been...different." A smirk graced her face as she looked down at the photo, rubbing her thumb across its glossy surface. She slid the picture back between Dexter's panels and put the device back in her back pocket where it belonged.

"When did you first meet good ol' Mr. Stone?" Jethro inquired. "If you don't mind me asking, you don't need to answer if it's personal need-to-know."

Frita gave a light chuckle. "It's hardly something worthy of keeping secret. I met him when I was...oh...14, I do believe. Arceus that feels like forever ago. He was in Granite Cave, 17 then, and Wallace was 19. They seemed so much older than me. Funny how time does that."

"Yeah, that it is," Jethro agreed, crossing his arms again. "You two are…close, I take it?"

Frita turned away for a moment, making a clicking noise with her tongue. "We're...good friends. Have been for some time. We made quite the quartet, Stevie, Wallace, Keith and I. But my job can make it hard to visit, and Steven often forgets to keep in touch. Always something interesting happening with him and his rocks. Wallace calls all the time though, so I still stay up to date…"

Jethro grinned slyly and looked down toward Dex. "You wouldn't happen to come with a lie detector, wouldja?" he asked. "Any of what she said a particular… Oh, I dunno, not-entirely-truth?"

Dexter snickered. "Like I need a lie detector for that. Please." Frita tapped his red casing, which stuck out of her pocket down to the bottom of the blue half orb near the top, and he cleared his throat. "Though I'm obligated not to tell you anything, regardless." His tone held some hint of amusement.

"Yeah-huh," Jethro mused, grinning wider. "Thaaaaat's kinda what I figured." He looked to Frita and winked. "Don't worry, I hardly ever talk to either of them anyway and don't know who else you know, so there's not really a whole lot I can do with that info. And hey, you're not alone in the relationship department anyway."

Frita narrowed her eyes, but didn't verbally respond. She stretched, and yawned a bit before turning on her heel to face Charlie and Rayquaza.

Jethro just chuckled to himself and turned to his dragon. "Whaddya say, big guy? Think we should head home?" Rayquaza nodded silently and spiraled down to him, lowering its head so Jethro could climb on. He turned to Frita and smiled genuinely. "Well, Frita Warmhart, it was a pleasure to meet you. Hopefully we see each other again someday." He held out his hand.

Frita shook his hand and nodded. "Something tells me we will." She winked at him before returning to her previous pose, hands in her coat pockets. She waved at him as he took off. "Goodshow was right!" She called.

* * *

"And that, ladies and gents, is how I met the gal with the blazing red hair for the first time," Jethro finished, smiling as they gave a soft round of applause.

"Yaaayyyyy, great story, g'night," Elly said drowsily as she let her head drop, falling asleep instantly.

"Great story, cousin," Valin said as he gave Jethro a pat on the back. "Definitely one for the storybooks." He yawned and leaned back on the couch, passing out within seconds. Jethro smiled and stood slowly, groaning quietly and putting a blanket over his cousin's lap. He trudged off to the terrarium, yawning deeply as he collapsed into his tent. "Ow," he muttered sleepily from the impact, rolling over and rotating so he was halfway outside the tent, looking up at the starry night sky.

"Kinda crazy," he said to himself, smirking as he closed his eyes. "But that's what makes my friends special…"


End file.
